Diamonds won by 4 wickets (with 36 balls remaining)
Fifties for Marlow and Heath see hosts get home by four wickets in Scarborough
Katie Levick’s four-wicket haul set up Diamonds  •  PA Images via Getty Images
Northern Diamonds 242 for 6 (Heath 58*, Marlow 55) beat Central Sparks 239 for 8 (George 52, Perrin 50, Levick 4-46) by four wickets
Superb performances from Katie Levick and Bess Heath led Northern Diamonds to a four-wicket win in the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy against Central Sparks at North Marine Road.
The pair helped Diamonds to their fifth win in the competition, with Levick taking 4 for 46 and Heath making an unbeaten 58.
In a back-and-forth opening innings at Scarborough, Sparks posted a competitive total of 239 for 8, with Davina Perrin and Katie George both passing 50. Every time it looked like Sparks were going to kick on, Diamonds fought back with wickets, with Levick leading the charge.
Diamonds’ chase started off well, with opener Lauren Winfield-Hill attacking in the powerplay to give the hosts a good platform. It was backed up by the excellent Emma Marlow who made 55, while Heath and Erin Burns combined well to help take the Diamonds over the line with six overs to spare.
Having won the toss and elected to bat first, Sparks made a terrible start as Diamonds’ overseas star Burns bowled the visitors’ skipper Eve Jones for 1 in the first over.
Sparks fired back though as Chloe Brewer, who looked in good touch, hit back-to-back fours from a Rachel Slater over easing the pressure on the visitors after a tough start. But Brewer’s innings didn’t last much longer with Levick getting the Sparks opener lbw for 37.
Phoebe Turner then got in on the act for Diamonds as Abbey Freeborn pulled one to a diving Katherine Fraser at fine leg for 19.
Courtney Webb and Perrin combined well and guided the visitors past the 100 mark, with some good rotation of the strike in the middle overs. The impressive Webb then departed with Turner bowling her for 37 to give Diamonds a vital breakthrough after a 71-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Despite losing her partner, Perrin continued to enjoy her day at the seaside, reaching her half-century from 68 balls, but she was then Levick’s second victim of the day, caught behind for 50.
The wickets then continued to come with Bethan Ellis departing at the hands of Fraser for a five-ball duck. Coming in at No. 6, the fluent George counterattacked, regularly finding the boundary.
Levick then struck again, removing Emily Arlott, but the positive George got her fifty from 53 balls. Levick got her fourth of the innings, trapping George in front of her stumps for 52 in the penultimate over and Sparks set Diamonds 240 to win.
Diamonds started their chase in solid fashion, chipping away at the total, but Winfield-Hill picked up the pace with a delightful four straight over the bowler’s head. Marlow was dropped in the slips on 5 and struggled to get going, while her opening partner Winfield-Hill nutmegged bowler Arlott with a beautiful straight drive for four.
The England international was attacking a Sparks bowling attack that offered plenty of width, regularly finding the offside boundary during the powerplay.
Much to the relief of the Sparks bowlers, Winfield-Hill departed for 46 after being caught by mid-off from the bowling of Hannah Baker.
The loss of Winfield-Hill checked the Diamonds progress slightly, but skipper Hollie Armitage and Marlow made sure they rotated the strike as much as they could. The pair took Diamonds past the 100 mark in assured fashion, then Armitage went on the attack with two fours in an Ellis over, leaving the hosts in a good position at the halfway mark.
Armitage was then removed by Georgia Davis for 28, but that didn’t halt the progress of the Diamonds with Marlow passing 50 from 70 balls.
Sparks fought back through a two-wicket over from Ellis, bowling the impressive Marlow for 55, before getting Sterre Kalis lbw for 7.
Heath and Burns then came in and rebuilt well, with Burns producing an eye-catching reverse sweep for four to make further inroads into the target. The experience of Burns, who made 34, and the boundary-hitting ability of Heath helped see the Diamonds over the line for a vital win.
