Diamonds swept aside in spite of Winfield's efforts

Centurion Rachel Priest and captain Heather Knight led Western Storm to a record-breaking Kia Super League win over Yorkshire Diamonds at York as they chased down 161 to win by 10 wickets with three overs to spare.
Yorkshire Diamonds' Lauren Winfield. (Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe)Yorkshire Diamonds' Lauren Winfield. (Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe)
Yorkshire Diamonds' Lauren Winfield. (Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe)

New Zealander Priest led the way with some fearsome hitting, albeit taking advantage of a bit of luck along the way as the Diamonds spilled a couple of boundary chances.

She finished with 106 not out off 65 balls and Knight unbeaten on 48 off 38.

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The pair shared the highest stand in two seasons of the KSL.

A second win from three matches puts Storm level on eight points, with the Diamonds in third place with a game in hand, in the race to reach Finals Day.

Yorkshire captain Lauren Winfield, batting in her home city, had earlier posted 58 off 44 balls as England’s World Cup winning hero Anya Shrubsole returned to action following a side injury with 1-30 from four overs.

Despite the early loss of Sri Lankan Chamari Atapattu, run out by a direct hit at the non-striker’s end from Stefanie Taylor from mid-on, the Diamonds got off to a healthy start as another Kiwi Sophie Devine hit 41.

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Devine hit off-spinner Claire Nicholas for two big sixes over long-on and mid-wicket as the score reached 55-1 after five.

Devine played on trying to hoist Shrubsole to leg with 75 on the board in the eighth over before Winfield reached 50 off 38 balls in the 16th over as the score reached 132-3.

Diamonds then lost 4-19 in the last three overs, the first of which was Winfield bowled by a Davies slower ball, to slip from 141-3.

Hollie Armitage then dropped a couple of catches at long-on, with Priest on 25 being the most costly. Her 39-ball fifty included two sixes over long-on, the second off compatriot Devine’s first ball in the tenth over as Storm reached halfway at 81-0.

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Fours and sixes continued to come with ease and Priest reached her century off 64 balls with 13 fours and three sixes with the penultimate ball of the match.

Yorkshire’s final game is against Southern Vipers at Arundel on Saturday.

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