Sunrisers Head Coach Andy Tennant has once again named an unchanged squad of thirteen to face Central Sparks in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Kidderminster.
His side have opened the season with two statement victories over Western Storm and, at the weekend, against last season's finalists The Blaze.
A magnificent bowling performance skittled the Blaze at Chelmsford on Saturday, before Grace Scrivens led an assured run chase under grey skies.
Nic Hancock and Kate Coppack opened the bowling with great precision, with the Australian making the breakthrough in the fourth over. Coppack (2/33) bowled excellently once more, and topped off her performance with a sharp run out from point.
The spin duo of Mady Villiers and Jodi Grewcock dominated in the middle overs, as five wickets fell for just eleven runs in ten overs. Villiers ended with three wickets for 20 runs, whilst Grewcock took 1 for 7 in her eight overs.
Hancock (3/20) returned to pick up the final two wickets and complete her second three wicket haul in three games.
Scrivens looked composed in the middle, guiding her side towards victory by scoring 46* from 50 balls. Ariana Dowse and Grewcock both reached double figures on their way towards chasing the low total.
A trip to Kidderminster is up next for Sunrisers, in a game moved from Worcestershire’s New Road due to flooding. They will face Central Sparks, who lost to South East Stars over the weekend.
Sparks won their first game of the season, beating Blaze by 78 runs at Edgbaston, but have suffered defeat to both Southern Vipers and Stars in the past seven days.
Leg-spinner Hannah Baker claimed a maiden five-for at Beckenham, as she starred in a bowling attack that included England international Issy Wong. However, their batting lineup failed to settle, and by the time the rain came in they had struggled to 119/6 from 30 overs – 71 runs behind on DLS.
Overseas signing Courtney Webb is in line to make her debut for the Midlands side, having landed earlier this week. The right-handed Australian batter plays for Melbourne Renegades in the WBBL.
The last time these two sides met was at Chelmsford last September, when wicket-keeper Abbey Freeborn hit an unbeaten 107* as Sparks reached 227/8. Scrivens, Villiers, and Amara Carr all hit half-centuries in reply, as Sunrisers chased the total six wickets down.
The game starts at 10.30am at Kidderminster Cricket Club. Entry is free to all spectators.
If you can’t make it to the game, make sure you tune in to watch Sparks’ free live stream during the day, on their YouTube channel, alongside updates on our social media channels. We wish a safe travel to those of you making the trip to Kidderminster.
Sunrisers have named the following squad:
Grace Scrivens (captain)
Amara Carr
Kate Coppack
Ariana Dowse
Jo Gardner
Jodi Grewcock
Cordelia Griffith
Nicola Hancock
Esmae MacGregor
Flo Miller
Charley Phillips
Amu Surenkumar
Mady Villiers
Up next
We return to Northampton on Saturday 4 May, where we will take on South East Stars. Tickets can be bought on the day, priced at £10 for adults and £5 for children. Entry is free for Essex, Middlesex, and Northamptonshire members.
The final game of the opening RHFT block will then take place at Radlett Cricket Club on Wednesday 8 May, where we welcome the Southern Vipers. Tickets can be purchased here, with free entry once again for members of our three First Class Counties.