Meg Austin lays platform as Bears hold off Hampshire

Birmingham Bears continued their strong form in the Women's Vitality Blast as they beat Hampshire by 13 runs at Edgbaston to record their third win in four games.

Put in, Birmingham totalled 178 with Meg Austin making a polished T20-best 51 from 38 balls. Daisy Gibb took 3 for 25, her wickets all coming in the space of four balls in her third over to put a crucial brake on the Bears when they appeared to be heading for 200.

It was still a testing target for a Hampshire side missing the injured Ella McCaughan, scorer of a match-winning century against Essex on Thursday. They came in short at 165 for 7 as only captain Georgia Adams, with 32 off 31 balls, and Mary Taylor (31 not out off 17) passed 30 against a disciplined attack led by Millie Taylor.

Hampshire chose to bowl but found early breakthroughs elusive. Austin and Davina Perrin added 70 from 48 balls and, after Perrin was well-caught by Charli Knott at mid-on off Adams, Perrin and Stere Kalis took the score to a promising 112 for 1 after 12 overs.

The 13th over, however, changed the flow as Gibb took wickets with its first, second and fourth balls. Austin fell to another smart catch by Knott at long-on and Laura Harris tried to cut a ball that was too far up and played on. Charis Pavely survived the hat-trick ball but was bowled by the next. Kalis watched from the non-striker's end as the trio departed but soon joined them in the pavilion when she top-edged a sweep at Bex Tyson to short fine leg.

Four wickets having fallen for 20 in 18 balls, Birmingham needed to reboot and Nat Wraith (38 not out off 24) and Issy Wong reintroduced some impetus. They added 42 in 28 balls before Freya Davies dismissed Wong and Millie Taylor with successive balls in the last over.

Hampshire's reply started frenetically - after 20 balls they were 35 for 2 with Knott and Maia Bouchier having struck six fours and got out. Phoebe Graham, signed on loan from Lancashire, ousted Knott, caught behind, and Bouchier pulled Georgia Davis straight to midwicket.

When Freya Kemp chipped Hannah Baker to extra cover, Hampshire were three top batters out and already behind the required rate. Adams and Rhianna Southby added 46 from 36 balls but Birmingham's spinners kept the pressure high.

Southby chipped Davis to extra cover and the 15th over, from Baker, cost just two runs to leave Hampshire needing something spectacular. In search of it, Adams and Naomi Dattani both charged at Millie Taylor and were stumped, setting up the rare spectacle of twin sisters in competition as Mary Taylor came in to face Millie. Mary survived to unfurl some pleasant strokes but in a lost cause as the required rate escalated. Hampshire required 26 from the last over and two singles left Taylor needing to hit the last four balls, from Wong for six. It didn't happen.