Northamptonshire Steelbacks Women kicked off their season with an hard-fought 39-run win against Kent Women at The County Ground.
After posting 307/8 after their 50 overs, the Steelbacks bowled Kent out for 268 on the penultimate ball of the innings.
Kent won the toss at a sunny County Ground but it was the hosts who made a strong start, posting 70 runs before the opening partnership of Amelia Kemp and Chloe Hill was broken with the former caught on 15.
Having brought up a half century in 39 balls, Hill looked to press on into the middle overs. However, she was caught in the 19th over for 51.
New Tier 1 loanee Meg Austin was in at three and her debut certainly didn’t disappoint. Austin raced to her half century in just 43 minutes, striking seven fours along the way.
At the halfway mark of the innings, Austin and Beth Ascott had led the Steelbacks to 139/2, a strong position and one to build on.
That’s exactly what the pair did, putting on a partnership of 142 for the third wicket.
Meg Austin reached three figures in the 38th over, raising the bat for a remarkable innings on debut. Her innings included 17 boundaries.
After Austin fell for 123 and Ascott for 56, the Steelbacks lost three more wickets in the space of six overs, keeping Kent in the game ahead of their reply with the bat.
Mabel Reid hit a valuable, unbeaten 25 to help the Steelbacks Women to 303, a strong target to defend. Megan Belt starred for the visitors, taking 5/50 from ten overs bowled.
In the same fashion as the Northamptonshire innings, Kent started brightly with Coco Streets and Izzy Cloke putting on 68 for the opening partnership.
That partnership was broken by Lenny Sims, with the off-spinner trapping Cloke in front for 22.
The wicket didn’t stop Kent’s ambition as Streets and Kelly Castle continued to push ahead and make Northamptonshire toil with the ball. A 64-run partnership led the visitors to 122/1 after 25 overs.
In the ten overs after the drinks break four wickets fell which reduced Kent to 181/5 and with the threat of rain around, Kent needed to accelerate.
With ten overs to go, Kent needed 99 runs, a feat which proved to be too many with more wickets falling, thanks to Liz Russell, Ella Phillips and Gemma Marriott. The heavens opened with the final few balls remaining but the Steelbacks took the final wicket, securing a 39-run win in the season opener.
Lenny Sims was the pick of the bowlers for the Steelbacks, finishing with figures of 3/52.
Northamptonshire Steelbacks Women are back in action on Sunday 26th April in the T20 County Cup, where they take on Tier 3 Herefordshire.