Katie Levick’s five-wicket haul proved to be in vain as Southern Vipers made it three Charlotte Edwards Cup wins from three with a 11-run victory over Northern Diamonds in Durham.
Leg-spinner Levick claimed five for 15 as Vipers fell away after a strong start, posting 126 all out despite an impressive 48 from Danni Wyatt.
Bess Heath’s half-century was a lone hand for Diamonds who fell short of their victory target and have now won just one of their three Group B matches.
Diamonds’ chase got off to a flyer as Heath hit each of the first four deliveries from Lauren Bell for four.
Heath and Sterre Kalis guided Diamonds to 48 without loss after the powerplay but Kalis was run out in the next over for 18.
Heath continued to flourish but Nat Sciver never got going before she was bowled by Anya Shrubsole for four. At the halfway stage, Diamonds were 69 for two, needing another 58 to win.
Vipers applied the squeeze but Heath reached an impressive half-century from just 42 balls.
She fell two balls later though, chipping Nancy Harman to Shrubsole for 51 to leave Diamonds 90 for three, needing 37 to win from five overs.
That proved the key wicket for Vipers, as Diamonds failed to kick on.
Abi Glen, Hollie Armitage and Leigh Kasperek all fell trying to find quick runs on a pitch which had proved very difficult to start your innings on.
Diamonds needed an unlikely 21 runs from their final over and Vipers sealed an impressive win with Linsey Smith bowled from the final delivery.
Earlier, Vipers’ opening pair Wyatt and Georgia Adams made their intentions clear with a boundary apiece in the first over, before the third over – bowled by Emma Marlow – went for 14.
The introduction of Levick paid dividends as Adams fell for a quickfire 24, picking out Sciver at short midwicket.
Maia Bouchier hit her first ball for four but that wicket had shifted momentum and Diamonds never relinquished it.
Vipers quickly lost three wickets for seven runs in just 17 balls, with Bouchier and Paige Scholfield falling to Levick and the impressive Rachel Slater removing Georgia Elwiss.
Wyatt marched on, anchoring the innings, but she attempted to heave Abi Glen over the midwicket boundary and Sciver took an excellent catch to remove her England team-mate for 48 from 43 balls.
Marlow then dismissed Harman and Freya Kemp in the 17th over before Levick returned.
She deceived Shrubsole, who chipped to Smith, before her superb five-wicket haul was complete with the lbw of Tara Norris.
Carla Rudd’s run out meant Vipers fell three balls short of their 20 overs. They lost their last six wickets in 27 balls for just 24 runs.
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The Vipers captain Georgia Adams said: “(Winning) is becoming a habit. It was a tough one today. We knew they would be coming at us hard and they’ve got a great team. To get over the line on a tricky pitch and play the way we did today, we will take that and we are chuffed to bits.
“After the start we got, we would have liked to have got to 140 and that would have been a good, competitive total. We never felt out of the game and we are confident with our bowling line-up.
“That’s what I love about this team. We are ruthless. When someone is under par someone else steps up. We get in a battle and compete until the end and that is what is so rewarding about leading the team.
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Katie Levick, who took five for 15, said: “A proud moment for me! It’s my first five-wicket haul for the Diamonds and they don’t come around often in T20 cricket. I am pleased with how I came out and how we did in the first half but ultimately it’s the loss that you remember.
“We saw the pitch and thought bat first as it was going to get harder. They stuck to their lines and the game got away from us kind of without us noticing really and suddenly it’s a tough ask for batters to come in and get going out there on that pitch.
“It just turned enough. You don’t want it to do too much but it was nice. One of those pitches where if you stuck to your lines, you would be all right.”
