Southern Vipers racked up a bonus-point win in the second round of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, beating South East Stars by 133 runs at Hove to see them top of the points table.
Batting first, Vipers put on 306 for nine thanks to a List A-best run-a-ball 115 from Georgia Elwiss and a frenetic 79-ball 90 from Emily Windsor.
Windsor returned with a bang from a seven-day rolling loan to Lightning to amass her highest score in regional cricket.
Vipers had been in trouble at 35 for three in the opening 11 overs, thanks to a tidy spell from Freya Davies, who eventually bagged three for 37.
But Elwiss and Windsor’s partnership of 160 for the fifth wicket raised them well above par, before 17-year-old Freya Kemp blitzed 40 from 23 balls to rub salt into the Stars’ wounds.
In reply, Stars made good progress in the powerplay, reaching 60-0 thanks to Bryony Smith (39) and Alice Davidson-Richards (42).
But after both were seen off, the pressure of chasing a high total led to a clatter of wickets, with Paige Scholfield (three for 29) finally wrapping things up in successive balls in the 39th over.
Earlier, after Stars chose to bowl first, Davies had opened her account with a maiden from the Cromwell Road End, building pressure on Georgia Adams who promptly pulled Alexa Stonehouse straight to deep square leg.
Davies then had Maia Bouchier trapped lbw without scoring, while Alice Capsey’s sharp throw from point to run out Ella McCaughan saw Stars three down with 35 on the board.
Elwiss, though, played the anchor role to perfection, with Stars letting through far too many singles. Joined in the 20th over by Windsor, the pair ran hard before unleashing a flurry of boundaries after drinks.
Windsor made just nine from 25 balls but then began throwing the bat around with abandon, progressing to a 59-ball half-century and taking just 20 balls to go from 50 to 90.
At the other end Elwiss calmly progressed to three figures with a single stroked down the ground in the 44th.
Davidson-Richards eventually accounted for the pair, castling Windsor before having Elwiss caught in the deep. But her scalps cost Stars 87 runs, as both Elwiss and Kemp smashed her for sixes over the leg side, Kemp taking 13 from the penultimate over as Vipers posted their second highest score in the competition.
In baking heat at Hove, Vipers were initially sloppy in the field, dropping Smith twice before she finally nicked one behind the stumps in the 11th.
Davidson-Richards appeared to have a point to prove after being released from the England ODI squad despite her hundred in last week’s Taunton Test.
She thumped Charlotte Taylor for two sixes down the ground in her opening spell but Taylor eventually had her caught and bowled eight runs short of a half-century.
From 110 for two, Stars then added just 63 further runs for the loss of their final eight wickets as a team effort from Vipers saw each of their seven bowlers chip in with at least one scalp.
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Vipers’ Georgia Elwiss said: “The Stars bowled really well. When they bowled straight, it made it difficult to score, but we knew if we could bat and extend a partnership that we’d get up to a decent total. 300 wasn’t something we were looking at at one stage, but we got ourselves into that position and then cashed in in the last ten.
“Emily (Windsor) was great. Really calm. Going out on loan last week did her well. She was really clear on her plans and that helped me. I could just knock it around then and play my game – and when the acceleration came, I thought we managed that well.
“I’ve made a couple of technical changes and I feel really balanced at the crease. Lottie (coach Charlotte Edwards) said to us today: ‘If you get out there, you need to cash in.’
“I knew to just keep my concentration and bat through and just enjoy it. It’s a lot of fun playing down here.”
Stars’ Bryony Smith said: “After having them 35 for three, we’re disappointed we took our foot off the gas a bit. G (Elwiss) batted really well, showed us how to do it. We did well when she was 50-odd. She wasn’t getting away from us then, but she put her foot on the gas then and kept finding those annoying gaps.
“We knew chasing 300 you’ve got to have a pretty good start. That’s the way I naturally play and Al’s in pretty good nick. And we felt we had a really good chance coming into this with ADR and Freya back, but it just wasn’t to be.”
