Emma Lamb's unbeaten fifty steers Lancashire to victory

Alana King took 2 for 16 and Emma Lamb made an unbeaten 60 as Lancashire Thunder defeated the Bears by seven wickets at Emirates Old Trafford to keep their Vitality Blast top-three qualification hopes alive

After a promising opening partnership of 39 between Meg Austin and Issy Wong, a good bowling performance led by King saw the Thunder claw back the advantage and it was a quickfire 21 from Laura Harris and a late-innings unbeaten 30 by Katie George that pushed the Bears to a total of 123 for 7 after being put in to bat.

Lancashire countered with a good opening stand themselves of 45 between Eve Jones and Lamb, and that was backed up an even better alliance of 60 in under 9 overs between Lamb and Tilly Kesteven for the second wicket. Despite the loss of a couple of late wickets when the win was all but assured, the Thunder eased to victory on 124 for 3 with nine balls to spare.

Thunder's victory takes them to within seven points of third-placed Bears in the Vitality Blast table with four games to play.

Chasing 124 to win, Jones and Lamb made a start full of positive running while Jones pulled seamer Hannah Hardwick for six, followed with a sweet drive for four off Issy Wong before taking consecutive fours off Georgia Davis to steer the Thunder to 38 without loss off the six over powerplay.

It was Millie Taylor who made a much-needed breakthrough for the Bears, tempting Jones down the wicket with Nat Wraith completing a smart stumping to dismiss the Thunder opener for a run-a-ball 23.

Lamb and Tilly Kesteven maintained that momentum, Lamb reverse sweeping Taylor for four, to reach the halfway mark on 63 for 1.

The pair reached their fifty partnership off just 41 balls with Lamb striking five fours in reaching her half-century off 40 balls before two wickets by debutant Phoebe Brett, who bowled both Kesteven for 25 and Ailsa Lister for 1, had Lancashire 107 for 3 after 16 overs.

Lamb and skipper Ellie Threlkeld hit the 17 runs needed to seal victory in the 19th over.

Threlkeld had earlier won the toss and did not hesitate to put the Bears in on a slow surface, but Austin and Wong - the latter no stranger to batting at No. 3 in the Bears line-up but pushed up to open today with regular opener Davina Perrin on England duty - made a good start taking 39 runs from 33 balls including Austin lofting the first six of the day off Sophie Morris.

Thunder hit back by taking three wickets for 1 run in the space of 13 balls. Austin hit Kate Cross to Tara Norris at mid-off for 29 off 23 balls while King made an instant impact by having Wong caught at point for 9 with her first ball. Sterre Kalis then drove Phoebe Graham to Norris at mid-off for 0.

When Nat Wraith skied a catch off Graham to Jones at cover for 8, the Bears were in a spot of trouble on 50 for 4 after ten overs.

A pair of boundaries in the 11th over and a six over extra cover in the next by Harris brought the visitors some brief relief, but the Australian's enterprising innings of 21 ended after 13 balls when she was bowled sweeping at Sophie Morris.

King returned to bowl Amu Surenkumar sweeping for 7 as the Bears struggles continued at 86 for 6 in the 15th over.

George, who hit the only two boundaries scored by a Bears batter in the last five overs, made an unbeaten 30 with Taylor run out for 11 in the 19th over as the Bears closed on 123 for 7.

That total looked to be a little light and the Thunder judged the run chase perfectly.