Sunrisers beat Stars to lift Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final, Leicester

South East Stars 212 (46.2 overs): Davidson-Richards 93, Franklin 33; Coppack 4-27, Grewcock 2-60

Sunrisers 121-3 (25 overs): Griffith 57, Scrivens 39*; Moore 2-29

Sunrisers hit South East Stars by 27 runs (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern)

Match scorecard

Sunrisers lifted nan Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for nan first clip arsenic they hit South East Stars by 27 runs connected nan DLS method successful a rain-hit last successful Leicester.

Cordelia Griffith’s 68-ball 57 and an unbeaten 39 from skipper Grace Scrivens saw Sunrisers to 121-3 aft 25 overs, chasing 213, erstwhile torrential rainfall and lightning ended play early.

Alice Davidson-Richards earlier made a fluent 93 from 105 balls, but lacked support arsenic Kate Coppack (4-27) helped vessel retired Stars for 212 pinch 22 balls of their 50 overs near unused.

Sunrisers are nan past sanction to beryllium etched connected nan trophy which will beryllium replaced adjacent play by nan One-Day Cup successful a wider shake-up of home women’s cricket successful England.

Having vanished 4th successful nan group stage, Sunrisers would not person moreover made nan knockout stages had a semi-final format not replaced nan eliminator strategy this season.

They eased past nan group winners Northern Diamonds and past dispatched nan second-placed Stars to declare what will beryllium their first and past silverware aft nan scrapping of nan 8 location sides successful favour of counties.

Stars number 4 Davidson-Richards is nan trophy’s apical scorer this play pinch 650 runs, but was astatine nan crease earlier than she would person liked.

Coppack cleanable bowled Alexa Stonehouse and past Paige Scholfield successful nan abstraction of 3 balls to time off Stars 6-2 aft conscionable 10 balls.

The spread grew deeper erstwhile a mix-up saw skipper Bryony Smith tally retired for 11, and Stars slumped to 53-4 erstwhile Kira Chathli was trapped successful beforehand to go Coppack’s 3rd victim.

However, nan batting broadside looked to person weathered nan large wind arsenic Aylish Cranstone (30) helped adhd 70 for nan 5th wicket.

She was stumped disconnected aft crisp activity from Amara Carr, but Davidson-Richards continued her scintillating caller form, driving good down nan crushed and looking untroubled arsenic she brought up her seventh half-century of this season’s title disconnected 61 balls.

Phoebe Franklin besides added momentum, hitting 5 fours, but was bowled successful Coppack’s last complete for 33 earlier nan Sunrisers’ slow bowlers took a tight grip.

Stars went much than 10 overs without a bound arsenic Scrivens (0-21 disconnected 8.2 overs) and Mady Villiers (1-48) turned nan screw successful nan second portion of nan innings.

Davidson-Richards smashed Jodi Grewcock for nan only six of nan innings arsenic Stars looked for precocious acceleration, but was past pinned successful beforehand by Villiers successful nan 46th over, earlier a 3rd calamitous run-out ended nan innings early.

Lightning struck doubly arsenic Sunrisers besides mislaid their first wicket pinch six connected nan committee erstwhile Tilly Corteen-Coleman trapped Jo Gardner for a first-ball duck.

But Griffith took power of nan pursuit pinch immoderate beautiful crisp hitting, smashing Stonehouse for 3 fours successful 1 complete connected her measurement to a 54-ball fifty.

The 29-year-old fell soon aft to Scholfield’s diving drawback astatine screen to extremity a 79-run guidelines pinch Scrivens.

Kalea Moore’s off-breaks soon picked up a 2nd wicket, removing Grewcock pinch a smart caught and bowled to springiness Charlotte Edwards Cup runners-up Stars immoderate dream of avoiding a 2nd last conclusion of nan season.

However, Scrivens’ composed unbeaten 39 from 47 balls looked to beryllium carrying Sunrisers to their target successful comfortableness when, pinch conscionable 92 needed from 25 overs, agleam sunshine gave measurement to thunderstorms.