White Ferns Super League Tour #2
Can Sophie Devine take over the Super League over?
While we all enjoyed our weekend, the White Ferns Super League Tour got underway with three games over the weekend as the Women's Super League went into overdrive. Sophie Devine played overnight Saturday and we then had a whole gang of kiwi ladies in action with Rachel Priest and Amy Satterthwaite facing off against each other overnight Sunday while Suzie Bates, Morna Nielsen and Sara McGlashan took on Lea Tahuhu on the same day (!).
Somehow Morna Nielsen slipped by me in my preview and she joined Bates and McGlashan in lacing up for the Southern Vipers.
Yorkshire Diamonds vs Loughborough Lightning
The star of the show was undoubtedly Sophie Devine from a kiwi perspective before this tournament started and Devine laid down her cards as a headline act in style. Loughborough batted first in the very first Super League came and Devine was due in at No.3, she came in early as well after Dane van Niekerk was dismissed in the second over of the game.
Devine then blazed 52 off 38 balls and carried her bat all the way through to the 16th over, as her Lightning comrades struggled to support her. Devine was the only batswomen to score over 20 runs and that she hit 52 with a strike-rate of 136.85 while her team struggled, showed the class of Devine as she led her Lightning to a total of 128/9 off 20 overs.
Yorkshire were skittled for 85 in 17.1 overs with Devine taking the new ball and she took 2/27 off 3.1 overs. Devine picked up her wickets late in the innings though and conceded 8.52rpo which made her easily the most expensive Lightning bowler. It didn't t matter though as Loughborough stormed to a first-up win, with Devine leading the charge with a strong all-round performance.
Sophie Devine: 52 off 38, 2/27 off 3.1 overs.
Lancashire Thunder vs Western Storm
Devine batted at No.3 for Loughborough and Amy Satterthwaite came in at No.3 for Lancashire as they took on Rachel Priest's Western Storm. Satterthwaite didn't quite do as well as Devine though, only hitting 13 off 17 before she was bowled. Lancashire couldn't do much better as they were dismissed for 83 off 18.3 overs and Priest managed a catch as wickie for the Storm.
Priest opened for the Storm as they tried to chase down a target of 84 and she also struggled, dismissed for 2 off 7 balls. Priest's Storm did go on to win though, reaching 86 in 15.3 overs and Satterthwaite had a bowl, conceding 7 runs off her only over.
Amy Satterthwaite: 13 off 17, 0/7 off 1.
Rachel Priest: 2 off 7.
Surrey Stars vs Southern Vipers
In an epic battle of White Ferns, the gang of kiwis in the Southern Vipers earned a big win over Surrey and their lone kiwi Lea Tahuhu. Tahuhu didn't feature with the bat as Surrey hit 85/6 off 20 overs, she was chillin' back in the sheds as No.11, however both Morna Nielsen and Suzie Bates featured heavily in this innings with the ball for the Vipers.
Nielsen opened the bowling and bowled 4 overs while Bates came in at first change, also rolling through 4 overs. Nielsen finished with figures of 1/12 and was typically stingey only conceding 3rpo, Bates took 1/20 and was a wee bit more expensive conceding 5rpo, even Sara McGlashan got amongst the action as she was credited with a run-out.
The Vipers got off to a nice start, with Bates featuring in a 66-run opening partnership and that basically got the Vipers over the line. McGlashan came to the crease, joining Bates but she was sent back to the sheds for a first-ball duck and Bates was then victim of some early White Ferns Super League kiwi-on-kiwi crime as she was bowled by Tahuhu for 25 off 27 in the next over. The Vipers ended up with 88/4 off 15.2 overs and Tahuhu finished with 1/16 off 3 overs, while Nielsen was left in the sheds as No.11.
Lea Tahuhu: 1/16 off 3 overs.
Suzie Bates: 1/20 off 4, 25 off 27.
Sara McGlashan: 0 off 1.
Morna Nielsen: 1/12 off 4.