Lightning strike against Vipers who lacked bite

Under the lights at the Ageas Bowl, Loughborough Lightning broke their duck against Southern Vipers to make it two wins out of two. Both teams went into the game having won their opening games.

In the absence of Georgia Elwiss, Sophie Devine was tasked with beating the Vipers for the first time. She didn’t put a foot wrong as she won the toss and put the hosts into bat.

Facing up against her New Zealand captain Suzie Bates she won that mini-battle in the first over as she had Bates trapped lbw for a second ball duck. It was Bates' first failure to score in the format and it put pressure on her side.

Loughborough Lightning had recruited well over the winter break and it was two players that they had picked up from Southern Vipers that combined to reduce their former teammates to 17 for 2 as Georgia Adams held onto the catch as Danni Wyatt drilled one to extra cover off the bowling of Linsey Smith.

It was again the spin of Lightning that strangled their opponents in the middle overs. Again Kirstie Gordon was on top form as she took the wickets of Mignon du Preez and Amelia Kerr. Devine took three wickets for the second match in a row, along with Jenny Gunn they provided excellent support for the young spinners.

On a slow pitch where the batters had to generate much of their own pace, only three players managed to make it double figures. Tammy Beaumont carried on her fine season with 37 off 39 balls and looked fluent.

Smith playing against her former side, she bowled well in the powerplay with her left-arm spin and returned figures of 2 for 18.

The Vipers looked to be a spinner short in their attack. Amelia Kerr and Fi Morris were tasked with the spin bowling. Morris proved expensive, although, she did get the wicket of Elyse Villani even though Carla Rudd had fumbled the ball going for the stumping. Lightning were cautious of Kerr and the New Zealander went for only six runs from her four overs.

Villani and Amy Jones had put on 71 from the third wicket but they were both out within a run of each other having both scored 35 each. Adams and Jenny Gunn were able to keep their cool and see their side to win by six wickets with 7 balls to spare.