Sunrisers come out on top in season opener

Jodi Grewcock and Nicola Hancock claimed three wickets apiece as Sunrisers condemned Western Storm to an opening day defeat in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy clash at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens.

Seamer Hancock took 3-15 in 5.4 overs and teenager Grewcock bowled unchanged for 10 overs to return impressive figures of 3-28 with her off breaks as Storm were dismissed for 114 in 30.4 overs.

Off spinner Mady Villiers weighed in with 2-36, while Esmae MacGregor took a wicket and contributed a run out as Sunrisers produced a disciplined performance in the field after winning the toss to ensure a comprehensive eight-wicket victory.

Only Nat Wraith offered meaningful resistance with the bat, top-scoring with 42.

Sunrisers skipper Grace Scrivens then led by example, compiling a composed innings of 63 and sharing in a reassuring partnership of 59 with Cordelia Griffith for the second wicket as the visitors overhauled their target with 16.2 overs to spare.

Put into bat, Storm were unable to recover from the loss of early wickets and were dismissed inside 31 overs.

Hancock produced a probing new-ball spell to remove Alex Griffiths for two, but fellow opener Sophia Smale responded in positive fashion, helping herself to three leg-side boundaries to advance her score to 16. Calamity then struck, Smale clipping Villiers behind point and setting off for a quick single, only to collide with partner Sophie Luff halfway down the track and be run out by Esmae MacGregor while getting back to her feet.

Five wickets then fell in just 8.1 overs as Storm slipped to 64-6. Luff was given out lbw for seven to a delivery from Grewcock that nipped back, while Dani Gibson was also undone by the England Under-19 leg spinner, playing back to a ball that struck her on the pad and departing for three.

Plying her off breaks at the other end, Villiers trapped Katie Jones in the crease and then struck a telling blow, inducing former England international Fran Wilson to drive straight to Jo Gardner at mid-on for 18.

Wraith adopted a forthright approach and dominated stands of 24 and 26 with Niamh Holland and Amanda Jade Wellington for the seventh and eighth wickets respectively. However, Holland eventually offered a return catch to MacGregor and Wellington mis-cued a drive to extra cover as Grewcock continued to deploy clever variation in flight to strike again in her final over.

Attempting to take matters into her own hands, Wraith plundered half a dozen boundaries in carrying the fight to the Sunrisers bowlers, her luck finally running out when she hoisted a ball from the returning Hancock to deep mid-wicket. Her combative innings of 42 spanned 52 balls.

Hancock required just four deliveries to wrap-up the innings, having Chloe Skelton caught behind.

Defending a modest total, Storm’s bowlers did their utmost to build pressure and new overseas recruit Wellington provided a silver lining when gaining an lbw decision with her very first ball to remove Ariana Dowse with the score on 21 in the eighth over. Making a good first impression on her debut, the Australian international spinner, finished with 1-24 from nine overs and discomfited the top-order batters sufficiently to suggest she is going to make a positive impact in Storm colours this season.

However, Scrivens overcame all attempts to unseat her, playing a captain’s innings to ensure her team reached their target without enduring any undue dramas. She found the perfect partner in Griffith, who adopted the role of chief support in an innings of 28 that spanned 48 balls and included a quartet of fours before she holed out to a good diving catch from Holland in the deep off the bowling of Skelton.

Unperturbed by that setback, Scrivens went to 50 via 65 balls with her ninth four, a fluent cover drive plundered at the expense of Griffiths. Perhaps fittingly given her performance with the ball earlier, Grewcock hit the winning runs as she finished unbeaten on 15.

At the close of play, Storm Captain, Luff said: “After all the build-up to the season, this is not the way we wanted to start. It’s one of those where we are best parking it and moving on. Fortunately, we have a northern tour with games against Diamonds and Thunder next week, so hopefully we can put things right.

“I think the run out (of Sophia Smale) affected us and it was difficult to come back after losing so many wickets early on like that. Nat Wraith tried to take the game to them and be positive and she batted really well. But the damage was already done.

“I think perhaps that it’s a composure thing in part, and also a belief thing. We still have to find that balance between playing our shots and batting long. On the plus side, Amanda Jade Wellington looked really dangerous on her debut and showed that she is a world class player. We have two young spinners who can learn from her and she is going to be a real plus for us this season. Because we didn’t have runs on the board, it negated what Amada Jade was able to do.”