Northamptonshire Steelbacks Women moved one step closer to One Day Cup qualification after producing a remarkable turnaround with the ball as they beat Sussex Women by 57 runs.
David Ripley’s side set Sussex 172 to win after the run scoring was shared between cameos by Chloe Hill at the top of the order and Gemma Marriott in the middle. Kemp and Hill began serenely, however Lee’s seemingly match-defining spell of 5-18 turned the game heavily in the Sharks’ favour. Ripping though the middle order, Steelbacks were reduced to 114-7 after going well at 70-2.
The Steelbacks tail needed to wag, and it did as some late order resistance courtesy of Anisha Patel heaved the hosts to a defendable score. Patel, often reliable with the bat down the order, struck a hard-fought 17 from 44 balls as she blunted the brimming Sussex attack, scoring two boundaries.
However, at 101-2, the away side were cruising on a glorious day at Horton House, with Collis and Adams scoring 38 and 40 at the top of the order. Adams launched into the attack, crunching five 4s and a maximum as the game quickly escaped the grasp of the Steelbacks. Inspiration and hope was fading fast for the weary bowlers until Phillips turned the tide with an exceptional four wicket haul in her spell of 4-25 from eight overs.
Eight Sussex wickets for just thirteen runs followed as Sussex capitulated in the sunshine. Presland contributed with two run outs before Phillips capped off her man of the match display with the final wicket as the Steelbacks ran out victors, leaving themselves ideally placed to progress with two matches remaining.