Vitality Blast Durham double header

Durham 141, Lancashire Lightning 142-7. Lancashire won by three wickets.

Lancashire 4pts, Durham 0 pts

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Lancashire Lightning defeated Durham by three wickets with two balls to spare at Emirates Old Trafford to finally extinguish the visitors’ chances of making the knockout stages of this year’s Vitality Blast.

However, the home side now need Essex to lose to Surrey in this evening’s Blast game in order to qualify for the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Having dismissed their opponents for 141 all out, in which Colin Ackerman made a pragmatic 66 not out off 45 balls, Lancashire’s reply was uncertain until Keaton Jennings settled the nerves with an unbeaten 41 off 33 balls.

Ben Raine took a magnificent four for 21 for Durham and the outcome was in doubt until Jennings pulled a Matty Potts full toss into the crowd in the final over.

Durham 132-6, Lancashire Thunder 135-6. Lancashire won by four wickets

Lancashire Thunder 4pts, Durham 0 pts   

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Wicketkeeper-batter Skye Thomas made an outstanding 55 not out off 38 balls on her senior Lancashire debut to secure a four-wicket victory for her side against Durham at Emirates Old Trafford. 

Having posted just 132 for six in their 20 overs with skipper Hollie Armitage making 30 and Venus Weerappuli taking two for 20, Durham rose to the task of defending that low score in impressive fashion. 

Heather Graham took two wickets as Lancashire slumped to 75 for six in the 13th over but Thomas and the experienced Kate Cross put on an unbroken 60 in seven overs to put a dent in the record of a side who will appear in the Blast finals day on Friday.

When Fi Morris was bowled by Turner for eight, Lancashire were 75 for six in the 13th over but Thomas and Cross’s combined to good effect to leave 24 needed off the last three overs. Thomas and Cross both hit Graham for sixes in the penultimate over to all but settle matter and Lancashire’s victory was clinched when Thomas drove Turner through the covers off the fourth ball of the final over.  

Kate Cross, Lancashire Thunder said:

"It was great to get the win on the board. But maybe that's probably added a little bit to the frustration as well of the season. Kind of like a little bit too late almost. 

“I think we could probably all learn a little bit about or from Skye with how she batted. You know, she played her game, and she played her shots. It didn't really matter who was bowling to her. 

“She's just come in and played what she's really comfortable doing. So, I think we can probably take a little bit from the youngsters today, it was brilliant. 

“I remember just as I was going in to bat, Eve told me that the combination of the stumping of Venus and Skye added up was still not my age!

“So that was just what you want to hear before you go out to bat. But no, she was brilliant. She was super clear. 

“I kind of just said to her, ‘I'm going to keep trying to get you on strike because you're hitting the ball so well and you're able to do what you're doing.’ 

“And she's gone out and won us that game without that innings, that knock, we wouldn't have got over the line. So I'm just so pleased for her.

"I've said to her while we were out there that all those days you do at the indoor school, it's for moments like this. So make sure you take it in. And the applause that she got for a 50, I thought was really lovely."