Franklin, MacDonald-Gay spark Surrey victory

Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Phoebe Franklin shared seven wickets to spark a Lancashire collapse and lead Surrey to a 53-run victory at the Oval - their seventh win in eight games.

Franklin's 3 for 19 and MacDonald-Gay's 4 for 14 wrestled back control as the visitors crumbled from 102 for 3 to 118 all out chasing 172 for victory. Their heroics followed a 70-run stand between Emma Lamb, who scored 64 off 46 balls, and Ellie Threlkeld (32) which threatened to snatch an unlikely win for the Red Rose county.

All this drama came after Grace Harris scored 57 from 31 and shared a fifth-wicket stand with Paige Schofield worth 69 to help the hosts recover from 17 for 3 to 171 for 9.

For the second home game in a row, Surrey's much-vaunted batting line-up was soon in trouble. Skipper Bryony Smith slapped the first ball for four, but was bowled by the second from Sophie Morris which skidded onto middle stump. Sophia Dunkley inside-edged a full toss onto off stump and confusion in running left Kira Chathli stranded.

Danni Wyatt-Hodge, involved in the mix-up, was starved of strike and became fretful before dancing down the pitch to Morris to be stumped by Threlkeld to leave Surrey 50 for 4.

Harris looked like she was batting on a different pitch, striking the ball powerfully down the ground before pulling a short one from Morris over deep-square for six as she marched to 50 in 28 balls.

Scholfield struggled initially and was dropped in the deep by Eve Jones on 11. The reprieve loosened her shoulders - a huge six over midwicket the pick of her shots in the stand.

However, England stars Kate Cross and Lamb removed both batters in quick succession and thereafter only a few late blows from Tash Farrant carried the hosts to what looked an under-par 171.

An early missed stumping chance by Chathli off Tilly Corteen-Coleman which reprieved Lamb didn't help the cause, but the unlucky bowler struck later in the same over trapping Eve Jones lbw.

The slow left-armer returned to castle Seren Smale and when MacDonald-Gay found the edge of Fi Morris's bat, Lancashire were 32 for 3 at the end of the powerplay.

Lamb though, who also survived a close call for a run out, creamed one from Harris to the cover fence to signal she remained a threat, while Farrant just failed to hold onto a flashing drive from Threlkeld.

Lamb and Threlkeld hoisted Corteen-Coleman over the ropes at midwicket and mid-off respectively, the former moving to 50 from 36 balls, before four boundaries in the next over from Alice Davidson-Richards suggested a momentum shift.

Franklin struck back to have Threlkeld stumped to end their stand in a brilliant over which conceded only one and brilliant fielding by Franklin and MacDonald-Gay in the next over had the dangerous Ailsa Lister run out for nought.

Lamb was then bowled by Macdonald-Gay, who in company with Franklin routed the tail.