Wyatt-Hodge leads way as Surrey pinch rain-affected contest

Surrey gained revenge for last month's County T20 Cup final defeat to Lancashire Thunder as they won a weather-shortened Vitality Blast clash at Emirates Old Trafford by two runs on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern.

In an 11-overs per side game, visiting spinners Kalea Moore and Tilly Corteen-Coleman struck twice apiece to restrict Lancashire to 85 for 6 following a 3.15pm start due to rain. Fi Morris top-scored with 29 off 25 balls for the home side.

Surrey's third successive win at the start of this competition was then confirmed as, when rain returned at 62 for 4 after eight overs of their chase, they were ahead of the DLS target.

At Taunton late last month, Thunder won the first title of the new county-led era of women's professional cricket thanks to a 32-run success. But Thunder are under early pressure in the Blast having now lost three from four so far.

After a two-and-a-quarter-hour delay here, Surrey, who elected to bowl, made the perfect start as Moore's offspin had Tilly Kesteven stumped by Kira Chathli off the first ball of the match on a used pitch.

In that aforementioned County Cup final, Kesteven had been named player-of-the-match following a superb 77 off 60 balls, her maiden senior fifty.

Ryana MacDonald-Gay trapped her England team-mate Seren Smale lbw in the next over - 10 for 2 - to leave Thunder up against it early on.

They reached 24 for 2 after 3.2 overs of powerplay. Morris and captain Ellie Threlkeld united to steady Lancashire's ship through a mix of power and invention. Threlkeld drilled Dani Gregory's legspin down the ground for four and Morris scooped Phoebe Franklin's seam to the long-leg fence.

They shared 50 for the third wicket before Threlkeld was bowled pulling at Gregory for 24 in the eighth over amidst the late and unsuccessful scramble for runs.

Moore and wicketkeeper Chathli combined again for another stumping, this time Ailsa Lister departing, and Lancashire were never able to cut loose.

When Corteen-Coleman's left-arm spin bowled Morris and Danni Collins in the 10th over, the hosts were 75 for 6.

Surrey's chase started positively as captain Bryony Smith twice clubbed Grace Johnson's seam down the ground for boundaries in the second over, taking the score to 17 without loss.

Either side of that, Danni Wyatt-Hodge twice pierced the gap at deep midwicket off Sophie Morris's spin, and at 34 without loss after 20 balls of powerplay Surrey were motoring.

The loss of three wickets in 10 balls changed that. Smith skewed Tara Norris's left-arm seam to point shortly afterwards, ending a 38-run opening partnership with Wyatt-Hodge, before Grace Harris got a leading edge to cover later in the fifth over.

When Wyatt-Hodge, on 25, hoisted Darcey Carter's off-spin to long-on in the next, Surrey were 46 for 3. Australian legspinner Alana King, on debut, then bowled Chathli - 53 for 4 in the seventh.

With the rain now falling and the DLS equation tightening up, Paige Scholfield hit Carter for six over wide long-off to seal the win given the umpires took the players off four balls later. She finished 16 not out off 14 balls.