Sunrisers head north for the bank holiday weekend with the same squad of thirteen, to first take on Thunder at Old Trafford on Saturday, and then Northern Diamonds at Headingley on Sunday in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.
They go into the game after suffering a narrow loss in yesterday’s double header at Lord’s, where South East Stars claimed a four wicket victory with six balls to spare, chasing down out 132/8.
Eva Gray was the star performer with the bat, hitting an entertaining 34 not out to boost the score after some tricky middle overs. She and Jo Gardner (25) shared a seventh wicket stand of 48.
In a batting reshuffle, Mady Villiers opened alongside Dané van Niekerk and the pair entertained during the powerplay, hitting 32 together before van Niekerk was bowled at the end of the fifth over.
As they always do, the bowlers worked hard with the ball and created some good chances. Grace Scrivens (2 for 22) and Abtaha Maqsood (1 for 20) repeatedly found the right spot, and bowled very well to keep us in the game.
Ultimately, the target was just 15 or 20 runs short, with Alice Capsey blasting 24 from 10 and Bryony Smith (38 from 27) proving to be the difference in the run chase.
It’s a quick turnaround in a busy period for the squad, which could see some players rotated to keep fitness levels as high as possible. Lissy Macleod and Scarlett Hughes sat out yesterday, but will be pushing for a start over the weekend.
Thunder v Sunrisers – Saturday 27 May, 2.30pm
Thunder have endured a tough start to the season in both competitions. They lost their first T20 game to Western Storm by six wickets last weekend, before a three wicket defeat at home against The Blaze yesterday.
Our away Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy game against tomorrow’s opposition was rained off earlier in the month after just fifteen overs of play. Both sides will see this game as a great opportunity to get a result and kick-start their seasons.
The game starts at 2.30 on Saturday afternoon, with Lancashire Lightning facing the Notts Outlaws afterwards. The game will be streamed on Lancashire’s YouTube channel, and you can buy tickets here.
Diamonds v Sunrisers – Sunday 28 May, 3.30pm
Diamonds are currently in action against Stars in their third T20 game of the season, winning both games so far. On Tuesday, they beat Sparks by just three runs at Edgbaston, whilst they opened their campaign last Friday evening with a record 218/3 against Storm.
Lauren Winfield-Hill scored 98, supported by 78* from Hollie Armitage, as they blasted their way over 200, before taking eight Storm wickets and winning by 32 runs. They came down to Chelmsford in the RHFT at the start of the month, and completed a five wicket victory after bowling us out for 157.
The game starts at 3.30 on Sunday afternoon, after Yorkshire Vikings take on Durham at 11.30. The game will be streamed on the Diamonds’ YouTube channel, and you can buy tickets here.
Sunrisers have named the following squad:
Kelly Castle (captain)
Amara Carr
Kate Coppack
Jo Gardner
Eva Gray
Cordelia Griffith
Scarlett Hughes
Lissy Macleod
Abtaha Maqsood
Flo Miller
Grace Scrivens
Dané van Niekerk
Mady Villiers
Up next
We return to Northampton for our final home T20, facing Western Storm on Wednesday 31 May (2.30pm start, before the Northamptonshire Steelbacks face Birmingham Bears). You can buy tickets here.
The group stages then come to an end with two away games, firstly against The Blaze at Nottingham on Sunday 4 June, and then away to Southern Vipers, under the lights at Hove on Wednesday 7 June. The Charlotte Edwards Cup finals day will then be played at New Road in Worcester on Saturday 10 June, with the top three qualifying for the day.