Lister holds nerve as Lancashire squeeze past Somerset

Ailsa Lister held her nerve to stage a match-winning innings of 28 not out from 19 balls as Lancashire Thunder beat Somerset by four wickets in a thrilling Vitality Blast T20 contest at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton.

Chasing 133 to win, Thunder looked to be cruising when Emma Lamb and Eve Jones put together an opening stand of 60. But Somerset fought back, Charlie Dean claiming 4 for 9 to threaten a startling turnaround in fortunes.

Needing eight off the final over, Lister edged Alex Griffiths for four through fine leg and then hit the winning runs with two balls to spare to see the northern county home by the skin of their teeth.

Lancashire's decision to bowl first paid dividends, Kate Cross claiming 3 for 21 and Sophie Morris 2 for 33 to restrict the home side to 132 for 7 from their 20 overs. Deep in trouble at 85- for 6, Somerset were indebted to the seventh-wicket pair of Amanda-Jade Wellington and Griffiths, who staged an exciting stand of 45 to at least make a game of it.

This might have been the first time Somerset had staged a standalone women's game under lights, but they will not look back on the occasion with any great fondness after coming off second best. The Cider county have now lost four of their five Blast outings this season, the other game having been washed out. As for Thunder, a third win in six games keeps them in the hunt for a top-four finish.

Put into bat and missing injured England stars Heather Knight and Dani Gibson, Somerset made an inauspicious start, Amelie Munday missing a straight one from Cross and departing bowled without scoring, and Bex Odgers being stumped by Ellie Threlkeld off the bowling of Morris for 18 as the home side slipped to 26 for 2 in the seventh.

Fran Wilson suggested a change in the balance of power, helping herself to a brace of boundaries at the expense of Morris to rouse an audience of around 3,000 - a record for a women's match at Taunton. Cheers quickly turned to groans, though, Niamh Holland paying the price for hesitation and being run out for 10 by the ubiquitous Morris with the score 45 for 3.

Charged with the task of rescuing a parlous situation, the experienced pair of Wilson and Sophie Luff combined deft placement and quick running to breathe new life into Somerset's ailing innings, the fourth wicket pair adding 24 from 20 balls. But when Wilson was bowled by Morris for 25, Somerset were 69 for 4 with work still to do. Worse followed, influential captain Luff sending a leading edge to extra cover off the bowling of Tara Norris and Dean attempting to ramp a Cross bouncer and offering a catch behind as Somerset lurched to 85 for 6 in the 16th.

Attempting to break the stranglehold, the hard-hitting Wellington plundered 25 from 14 balls, including five boundaries, to put the Lancashire bowling under pressure for the first time. Encouraged by the success of her partner, Griffiths opened her shoulders in raising 27 from 18 balls as the seventh-wicket alliance yielded 45 crucial runs in 4.3 overs at the death.

There is something about playing at Taunton that brings out the best in Lancashire, who defeated Somerset in a 50-over contest on this ground earlier in the season and then beat The Blaze and Surrey to lift the Vitality County T20 Cup last month. Sure enough, their reply was afforded reassuring early impetus, Jones and Lamb taking advantage of some short and wide bowling to raise 50 in 6.4 overs and set the tone.

The partnership was worth 60 when Jones, having scored 28, was pinned lbw by Dean in the ninth over. Lamb then went for 32 in the next over, held at short fine leg off the bowing of Ellie Anderson to give Somerset a glimmer of hope. When Wellington induced Seren Smale to hole out to long-off for 11 in the fourteenth over, Thunder were 91 for 3, requiring a further 42 to win off 39 balls.

Dean bowled Threlkeld for 1 with the score 96 for 4, at which point the game was in the balance. But Lister calmed any nerves, hoisting Griffiths for sixes over long-on and midwicket in the 18th to put Thunder back in the box seat.

Dean was still not done, bowling Fi Morris for 22 and then having Alana King held at point without scoring to leave Thunder needing eight off the final over. Lister then demonstrated nerves of steel to settle the issue.