(24.4/50 ov, T:110) 111/6
Diamonds won by 4 wickets (with 152 balls remaining)
Fast bowler marks return from injury in style to set up four-wicket win
Beth Langston produced a stunning display to uproot Sunrisers • Getty Images
Northern Diamonds 111 for 6 (Burns 35*, Coppack 3-35) beat Sunrisers 109 (Langston 6-24) by four wickets
Six-time England fast bowler Beth Langston made a dream return from her injury nightmare with a stunning six for 24 as Northern Diamonds continued their march towards the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy semi-finals with an enthralling four-wicket win over Sunrisers at York.
Langston had – prior to this fixture – only played once for the Diamonds since the end of July 2022 and hadn’t take a 50-over wicket since the previous September following a ruptured ACL (knee) and resulting complications.
However, she returned at Clifton Park to put the skids under the Sunrisers, who were bowled out for 109 inside 31 overs to pave the way for a home victory which saw Diamonds slip to 32 for four chasing. Australian overseas Erin Burns sealed the win with an unbeaten 35.
Diamonds leap-frogged their fellow contenders into second place in the table with a seventh win in nine to all but seal a semi-final place with five games still to play.
Sunrisers lost their third game in nine but remain handily placed inside the top four.
Langston, 31, was part of England’s triumphant World Cup-winning squad on home soil in 2017 without actually playing in that campaign.
She ruptured her right ACL during the 2022 Hundred (Northern Superchargers) and has struggled for fitness since.
She played only one T20 match last season. But this was a seamless return, with her wickets spread across spells of six overs and four overs from the Pavilion End.
After Hollie Armitage elected to bowl on a muggy, wicket-ladened Minster City day, Langston made the most of helpful conditions – sideways movement was obvious – to set her team up for their fifth straight 50-over win.
After fellow pacer Lizzie Scott bowled visiting captain Grace Scrivens in the second over, Langston came into the attack to bowl the fifth.
She was quickly into her stride and had opener Jo Gardner caught behind in the ninth for 21 and Jodi Grewcock lbw in the 11th, leaving Sunrisers at 43 for three.
Mady Villiers was run out following a mix-up with Lissy MacLeod as they thought about three out to deep cover before MacLeod was caught behind off Phoebe Turner’s seam.
And then Langston really turned the screw en-route to the best figures by any bowler in regional cricket this summer.
Late away swing did for Flo Miller caught behind before Amara Carr was bowled next ball offering no shot – 54 for seven in the 15th over, the last of Langston’s first six-over spell, which yielded four for nine.
But she wasn’t out of the attack – or the wickets – for long.
Armitage brought her back to bowl the 23rd, by which time Sunrisers were 85 for seven.
She bowled Eva Gray, offering no stroke, and then Amu Surenkumar, leaving the Sunrisers at 90 for nine in the 25th.
Sunrisers limped beyond 100, with only opener Gardner passing 20. Along with seamers Scott and Turner, off-spinning all-rounder Burns also struck once as the Diamonds sparkled.
But spirited Sunrisers weren’t done. Like Langston, their seamer Kate Coppack impressed.
She claimed three of four wickets as Diamonds fell to 32 for four inside nine overs of their chase, removing openers Lauren Winfield-Hill and Emma Marlow, added to Rebecca Duckworth’s scalp.
Armitage and Burns settled the ship by sharing 43, the former making 33 before clubbing Sophie Munro’s seam to mid-on – 75 for five.
Langston also fell for eight, but the presence of experienced Burns was telling. She completed victory with 25.2 overs remaining.
