Essex, led by skipper Eva Gray, were up against Lancashire, led by skipper Eleanor Threlkeld, in the 35th match of the ongoing inaugural edition of the Women’s T20 Blast. It is a crucial encounter for both sides, especially for the fact that they find themselves in the middle of the points table.
The persistent rains ensured that it was a curtailed encounter, and as a result, the game was reduced to an 8-over-per-side contest.
The Essex openers Alice Macleod and wicket-keeper batter Lauren Winfield-Hill got their side off to a cautious start with a 14-run opening partnership, after skipper Eleanor Threlkeld won the toss and inserted them to bat first. Phoebe Graham cleaned up Alice Macleod to provide the first breakthrough for Lancashire in the 4th over of the innings.
Essex eventually posted a competitive total of 47/7 in their quota of 8 overs. Wicket-keeper batter Lauren Winfield-Hill (13 off 18 balls) was the only batter to enter the double digits with the bat for Essex. Kate Cross (2-0-9-2), Alana King (2-0-17-2), and Tara Norris (3-0-16-1) were impressive with the ball for Lancashire.
Chasing a revised target of 52, Lancashire got over the line with 8 wickets in hand and a couple of overs to spare. Emma Lamb (21 off 17 balls) and Eve Jones (17 off 13 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Lancashire. The 29-run opening partnership between Emma Lamb and Eve Jones was the highest partnership of the run chase.
Eva Gray (1-0-7-1) was the only wicket-taker with the ball for Essex. Esmae MacGregor (1-0-6-0) and Abtaha Maqsood (1-0-8-0) were impressive with the ball for their side.
A dominant win for Lancashire has brought them to the 5th position in the points table.
