Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy roundup: Stonehouse inspires Stars to home semi-final

The Cricketer reviews the best of the action from the final round of matches in the 50-over competition in 2024

Chester-le-Street: South East Stars 275-8, Northern Diamonds 119 - South East Stars win by 156 runs

New ball seamer Alexa Stonehouse returned a career-best four for 27 to help South East Stars clinch a home semi-final in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy as they crushed already confirmed group stage winners Northern Diamonds by 156 runs at Durham.

A season's best run-a-ball 79 from Alice Davidson-Richards anchored the Stars' imposing 275 for 8 in a final round group clash between first and second in the table at the Seat Unique Riverside before left-armer Stonehouse's opening seven-over burst was key in bowling the Diamonds out for 119 inside 37 overs. 

The Diamonds were disappointed in what was essentially a dead rubber fixture for them. They failed to match the intensity of the Stars, for whom all-rounder Emma Jones also impressed with a career-best 47. 

Both regions finished with nine wins from 14 games. Diamonds will host Sunrisers in their semi-final next Saturday and Stars will face champions Southern Vipers.  

***

Taunton: Thunder 216-9, Western Storm 69-2 - Lancashire Thunder win by 2 runs (DLS Method)

Eleanor Threlkeld staged a superbly judged knock of 69 not out as Thunder beat Western Storm by two runs (DLS) in a rain-shortened Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy contest at Taunton.

Thunder's captain won the toss, elected to bat first and then led by example as the visitors raised 216 for 9 from 50 overs, Alice Clarke weighing in with 41 and Grace Johnson contributing a useful 23, their efforts representing atonement for three self-inflicted run outs in a rollercoaster innings.

Making her final appearance of a successful campaign in Storm colours, Australian international Amanda-Jade Wellington signed off with 2 for 28 from 10 overs, her leg breaks doing much to undermine northern progress during the middle overs. Restored to the attack, Mollie Robbins impressed with the new ball and again at the death to finish with 3 for 28, keeping things tight while her fellow seamers proved expensive.

Required to score at four an over as the rain clouds gathered away to the south west, Storm appeared to be in control of their own destiny. Openers Emma Corney and Sophia Smale departed early on, but the experienced pair of Sophie Luff and Fran Wilson restored calm and were in a position to dictate terms.

But the third wicket pair inexplicably failed to move their team ahead of the DLS requirement of 71 as the rain began to fall and, when umpires Mark Newell and Fiona Richards finally led the players off the field after 20 overs, Storm were 69-2 with Luff and Wilson unbeaten on 16 and 13 respectively. 

Needing to resume their innings if they were to register a second win in three days and move off the foot of the table, Storm were ultimately frustrated by the weather, the umpires deciding they had no option but to abandon the game at 4.42pm.

^{Threlkeld's 69 navigated Thunder to a tight DLS victory over Western Storm (Getty Images)}

***

Southampton: Sunrisers 281, Southern Vipers 88-8 - Sunrisers win by 5 runs (DLS Method)

Sunrisers reached the knockout stages of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for the first time after beating holders Southern Vipers in a rain-affected thriller.

Grace Scrivens' side failed to win a match in the first three editions of the competition, before narrowly missing out on qualification last year.

But after fifties for Cordelia Griffith and Lissy MacLeod set them up for 281 in the face of former Sunriser Naomi Dattani's maiden five-wicket haul, they restricted Vipers to 88 in their 10 over search for 94 for their seventh win of the tournament.

Holders Vipers had already qualified for next Saturday's semi-final and had hopes of a home tie ended by South East Stars victory over Northern Diamonds.

Vipers will face Stars in their semi-final, while Sunrisers will travel to Diamonds – the winners of those matches will face off at Leicester on September 21.

Join The Cricketer's brand new Whatsapp channel for the latest breaking news, comment and features - click here to become a member

Related Topics

• Dew, data and Dubai: How England Women are dealing with T20 World Cup location change
• Nottinghamshire retain The Blaze name for tier-one women's team
• Heyhoe Flint Trophy and Charlotte Edwards Cup renamed for 2025
• Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy roundup: Defeat to Central Sparks leaves The Blaze on the brink