Sophie Ecclestone was undoubtedly the player of the match in the T20 final. Her big contribution laid in the final, restricting Surrey to an underwhelming score to allow Lancashire to secure a maiden title. It was a fitting enough final, played at the spiritual home of English football, Old Trafford. It was a masterclass from Lancashire’s bowlers, but especially Ecclestone, who was surprisingly omitted from the England squad for the forthcoming series against the West Indies.
Lancashire’s innings got off to a fluent start led by Smith, who had won the toss and opted to bowl first. This turned out to be a smart move, as Surrey was unable to gain any momentum. Bryony Smith and Kira Chathli set the tone at the top order for Surrey. Kira was overpowered by Tilly Corteen-Coleman, who went on to bowl Emma Lamb out with her very next ball.
Fi Morris showed her swashbuckling top order batting style, scoring 27 off just 12 balls. Her innings featured three fours and a huge six, riling up the home crowd. Try as she might, her efforts were not enough to repel the pressure as Kalea Moore came into the game. Moore didn’t take long to create an impact, having Seren Smale caught behind after a rapid 19 runs. She then sent Tilly Kesteven’s off-stump cartwheeling to collect her second wicket.
In response, Tilly Kesteven shone for Lancashire. She went on to score 77 runs from 60 balls. In a riveting cameo, her first senior fifty was brought up in just 37 balls as she took apart the opposition bowling. Kesteven’s innings proved vital as she anchored the team’s performance while Phoebe Franklin provided strong support with an energetic contribution of 41 runs from 36 balls before holing out.
As the game wore on, Kalea Moore just kept getting messier and messier on the Surrey batsmen. In a nail-biting last over, she picked up two more wickets to seal her side’s win. This took her total to four for the match and finished off Surrey’s chances. This was supplemented by Kesteven’s brilliant run scoring and Moore’s irrefutable bowling which meant Lancashire clinched a convincing victory.
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