Sophie Luff strikes 85 as Western storm crush Sunrisers

The Somerset batter scored a second straight half-century before Fi Morris took 5-26 as Sunrisers were blown away

Chelmsford: Western Storm 265-6 v Sunrisers 179 - Western Storm won by 86 runs

Skipper Sophie Luff’s elegant half-century led Western Storm to a crushing 86-run victory over hosts Sunrisers at Chelmsford.

Luff stroked nine fours in an innings of 85 from 115 balls, sharing stands of 80 – in just 61 deliveries - with Alex Griffiths and 55 with Claire Nicholas as Storm rattled up 265-6, despite 10 excellent overs of off-spin from Alice Macleod (1-34).

Lauren Filer then took wickets with her first two balls of the tournament, before Fi Morris (5-26) claimed a five-wicket haul as Sunrisers mustered 179 in reply, Jo Gardner top-scoring with 54.

Morris (24) and Lauren Parfitt got Storm off to a solid start with an opening stand of 43 after being asked to bat first. But the former fell to Macleod and helped by a mix-up which saw Georgia Hennessy run out, Sunrisers reduced the visitors to 109-4 just beyond halfway.

Instead of grabbing the match by the scruff, Sunrisers’ bowlers lost their discipline as Griffiths and Luff unleashed a flurry of boundaries, producing 58 runs in the next five overs.

Griffiths hit the innings’ only six before being given a life on 29 when skipper Amara Carr and bowler Emily Thorpe left a simple top edge to one another and the chance was lost.

The Welsh-born all-rounder was eventually snared LBW by Sonali Patel (1-31) for 43, made from just 34 balls before Luff was stumped off Katie Wolfe (1-23). Nevertheless, 265 looked an imposing score and Filer soon made it look a whole lot bigger.

Storm’s medium pacer struck a huge blow when having Carr caught at slip for a golden duck and her next ball splayed MacLeod’s stumps to leave the hosts 2-2. The hat-trick ball proved an anti-climactic wide, one of three in an over of 11 deliveries - too much adrenaline perhaps?

Hard-hitting Cordelia Griffith lost her middle stump playing all-round one from Griffiths before Morris accounted for both Naomi Dattani (27) and Gaya Gole to leave Sunrisers in tatters at 70-5

Gardner smote two big sixes in a gritty half-century, sharing a sixth-wicket of 51 with Grace Scrivens, but she became Morris’ fifth victim to leave Sunrisers still winless in the tournament. 

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