Southern Vipers 254
South East Stars 196
Southern Vipers win by by 58 runs
Linsey Smith scored her best List A score and picked up three wickets as the Southern Vipers beat the South East Stars by 58 runs at the Ageas Bowl.
The win boosted the Vipers’ Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy knockout ambitions, with former England spinner Smith bagging a no-thrills 51, her first half-century in 50-over cricket, before taking three for 34 to set up a bonus point victory.
She was the lynchpin for the Vipers’ 254 which included forties from Ella McCaughan and Georgia Adams while Dani Gregory took a four-for.
Aylish Cranstone cracked out 69 but Vipers leap-frogged Stars into second and leave qualification for the Eliminator in their own hands. Stars will progress if they beat Central Sparks in the last round of fixtures.
Vipers chose to bat but found early going slow on a tacky pitch, with only 27 runs coming in the opening 10 overs – with Alexis Stonehouse picking up Abi Norgrove’s wicket and Ryana Macdonald-Gay accurate from the other end.
Ella McCaughan and Georgia Adams accelerated with 54 coming from the following seven overs before the former swung to long on and Georgia Elwiss was run out for the second game in a row.
Adams continued her fine form with seven boundaries in a glossy 49, barely missing out on a fifth straight 50 when she top-edged to square leg.
Emily Windsor had drilled to cover as Vipers looked limply at an under-par total on 128-5 but Freya Kemp’s whacking and Smith’s belligerence put them right.
Kemp’s two sixes headlined the 48-run stand before slogging to long on, with Gregory completing her four for 55 by pinning Alice Monaghan.
Smith only scored three boundaries, two of which came from edges, in her maiden Vipers fifty. However, it came in 56 balls to highlight her strong running.
Rhianna Southby chipped away with 21 off 24 but Vipers were bowled out in 48.2 overs with Smith caught at long on, Southby bowled and Ava Lee well caught behind.
In reply, Stars grappled through the powerplay, also scoring 27, but lost captain Bryony Smith and Kira Chathli as Linsey Smith continued her fine game.
Jemima Spence and Cranstone built the foundations of the chase with a 58-run stand before the former pulled to deep square.
Former Viper Paige Scholfield and Kalea Moore fell to the increasingly impressive teenage Lee, while on loan from Vipers Chloe Hill was plumb in front to Mary Taylor.
Left-handed batter Cranstone completed her first half-century of the season in 48 deliveries after an innings filled with stylish off-side stroke play.
