6 hours ago
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Surrey continue to set the pace in the women's T20 Blast as punishing batting by England's Danni Wyatt-Hodge ushered them to a comfortable nine-wicket win over Durham at The Oval.
After restricting the visitors to 141-5, they made it four wins out of four by reaching 143-1 with 43 balls to spare, Wyatt-Hodge hitting the winning boundary to finish with 74 not out from just 36 balls.
In Sunday's other game, Lancashire Thunder picked up only their second win in five matches as Tara Norris made an unbeaten 33 and took 3-25 to help them beat Bears by five runs.
Chasing a target of 163, the home side needed 14 off the final over at Edgbaston, but could only muster eight, with Natasha Wraith finishing on 57 not out from 36 deliveries, the highest score of the match.
The game against Surrey began badly for Durham, who had both openers bowled inside the first five overs - Suzie Bates and Mady Villiers dismissed by Ryana MacDonald-Gay.
From 29-3, Hollie Armitage led a revival, adding 40 with Bess Heath (27) and 38 with Mia Rogers, and although she went to 50 off 49 balls in the last over and Katherine Fraser hit the final ball of the innings for six, their score did not look enough.
So it proved as Wyatt-Hodge and Bryony Smith matched each other shot for shot in bringing up a 50 partnership in the fourth over.
Wyatt-Hodge launched Katie Levick over mid-wicket for a maximum, the first of two sixes in her innings to go with 11 fours, but the stand came to an end on 94 when Smith was caught in the deep off Phoebe Turner for 44 from 28 balls.
Replacement Kira Chathli opened her account with a six and made an unbeaten 19 from 13 before Wyatt-Hodge ended the game by cutting Bates to the point boundary.
"It definitely is a big win. We bowled and fielded really well as a team and then Danni and Bry smashed it and got us over the line," said MacDonald-Gay.
"They are very good players who work really well together because they are different and they score in different areas, so it must be really tricky to bowl to them as a pair."
Emma Lamb was back in the Lancashire side against the Bears following England duty but it was not a happy return as she was bowled through the gate for five by Issy Wong in the first over.
They struggled to 31-4, batting in a steady drizzle, before a 69-run partnership between Ailsa Lister and Australian Alana King which ended when the former was lbw for 36 as she tried to sweep Hannah Baker.
King made 21 before hitting Millie Taylor (2-25) to deep mid-wicket but Norris lofted a six over mid-off as she steered Thunder to 162-7.
Bears made a positive start in reply as Davina Perrin made a rapid 34 before being bowled by one from Grace Johnson which kept low.
Charis Pavely contributed 27 but they were losing momentum at 101-6 in the 14th over when Wong was bowled by Norris as she tried to make room to force the ball through the off side.
Wraith, though, kept them in the game, clearing the ropes and hitting four fours as she reached 50 from just 29 balls, but wickets continued to fall at the other end and she lost the strike midway through the last over as Thunder squeezed home.
"We have had a couple of tough ones in the last couple of games, so to get a win on the board is brilliant and we are right back in the mixer," Lancashire skipper Ellie Threlkeld said.
Riverside: Durham v Bears (14:30 BST)
The Oval: Surrey v The Blaze (18:30 BST)
English (US)