Superchargers triumph in North derby as women's Hundred delivers another nail-biter

Northern Superchargers moved level on points with Southern Brave at the top of the Women's Hundred standings after Alice Davidson-Richards held her nerve take two wickets in the final five balls to defeat Manchester Originals by four runs in a rain-affected match at Headingley.

The home side had posted 133 for five off their hundred balls, only to see that target reduced to 113 off 80 by a prolonged shower. Fine batting by Emma Lamb, who made 49, seemed to have given Originals a chance of reaching that target but Fi Morris was caught on the deep square-leg boundary by Linsey Smith off Davidson-Richards, trying to hit the six that would have won the game.

In the first innings of the day, Originals gained their first success with the score on 27 when Jemimah Rodrigues was caught at deep midwicket by Katie George off Mahika Gaur for nine. Phoebe Litchfield then took fours off three successive balls from Deandra Dottin but Marie Kelly was run out for 22 off the next delivery when she was sent back by Litchfield and beaten by Morris' throw from the point boundary.

However, Litchfield and Hollie Armitage then took the score to 84 and it looked as though Originals would regret Dottin's error when she dropped Litchfield off Amanda-Jane Wellington when the batter had made 24.

It was left to Orginals' skipper Sophie Ecclestone to take a much-needed wicket when she clung on to a fierce drive from Litchfield and removed the Australian for a 29-ball 39 that had included six fine boundaries.

Armitage sought to increase the run rate but was caught by wicketkeeper Ellie Threlkeld for 17 when she top-edged an attempted slog-sweep off Morris. Bess Heath hit the first six of the innings when she pulled George into the Western Terrace but was then caught at point by Laura Wolvaardt off Kathryn Bryce for an 11-ball 20.

Davidson-Richards hit two of the final four balls of the innings for four to ensure Superchargers posted a defendable 133 off their 100 balls. However, this Headingley pitch seemed well suited to the slower bowlers, a fact borne out by the fact that Morris took one for 15, Ecclestone one for 17 and Wellington nought for 21. All three spinners bowled their full allocation of 20 balls.

Forty minutes of rain reduced Originals' target by 21 runs in 20 fewer balls but their innings got off to an atrocious start. Wolvaardt attempted a sharp single with Lamb but was run-out for five by bowler Grace Ballinger's direct hit. Ami Campbell was then lbw to Lucy Higham for a two-ball nought to leave the visitors on 16 for two after 14 of their 80 balls.

Lamb and Dottin took their time in rebuilding their side's innings but the pace was increased when Dottin heaved Smith over the square leg boundary for six and punched Georgia Wareham through the covers, over mid-off and through midwicket for three fours in one set.

That left Originals needing 63 off 40 balls and their hopes were dented when the dangerous Dottin was brilliantly caught at deep midwicket boundary for 27, Wareham completing a superb running catch inches inside the rope off Davidson-Richards.

George managed only a single before falling to Smith, leaving Lamb and Ecclestone, two of the Orginals' senior players, to score 56 off 32 balls. The pair rose to the challenge magnificently, Lamb returning to form with an array of attacking strokes and Ecclestone lofting Smith for a straight six in her nine-ball 13 before giving a return catch to the ex-Originals seamer, Kate Cross.

That left Originals needing 13 off eight balls and 10 off the last set of five, bowled by Davidson-Richards, Crucially, however, Lamb was caught behind off the first of these deliveries and Davidson-Richards took the final wicket to finish with three for 23