| Charlotte Edwards Cup, Chelmsford |
| Central Sparks 137 (19.5 overs): A Jones 51; Castle 3-24, Villiers 3-28 |
| Sunrisers 114 (19 overs): Griffith 53; Arlott 4-23 |
| Central Sparks won by 23 runs |
| Match scorecard |
England wicketkeeper Amy Jones scored 51 for Central Sparks to help open the new Charlotte Edwards Cup campaign with a 23-run victory over Sunrisers.
Jones struck nine fours in her 34-ball innings as Sparks were bowled out for 137 with a ball to spare at Chelmsford.
The next highest score was just 15 as seamer Kelly Castle and off-spinner Maddy Villiers each took three wickets.
Cordelia Griffiths led the chase with 53 but had little support and Sunrisers were bowled out with an over to spare.
Sparks, beaten by Southern Vipers in last season’s final, were sent in at Chelmsford and struggled.
Jones’ knock was by far the standout innings as Castle took 3-24 and Villiers 3-28.
But Sunrisers found the going equally as tough in reply, with only three double-figure scorers.
Fourty-four were needed from 27 balls when Griffiths became the first of four wickets for Emily Arlott.
The chase then petered out and, with 29 required from the final two overs, Arlott took three wickets in five balls to end the game.
Central Sparks bowler Grace Potts:
“We knew it was a good deck to bat on, so we thought we were a little bit short, so it was about getting early wickets and keeping them down.
“The talk was for me to bowl one or two in the powerplay, so to get three was a bit of a surprise, but quite nice. I felt in good rhythm, so it was nice to keep going and thankfully it paid off.
“The captain then came up and brought me back on saying she wanted a wicket, so it was nice to deliver it and contribute to the team.
“We all know Amy [Jones] is a great player and she has proved again today what she can do.”
Sunrisers batter Cordelia Griffith:
“We had a top innings in the field reducing them to 130-something, so it was something we really thought we’d be able to chase down. We didn’t manage to get it with the bat but put up a good fight and a couple more partnerships would have helped us over the line.
“It may be a mental thing rather than skillset. We’ve got the talent and ability in the squad. Maybe it was about reading the situation better.
“Kelly bowled really well and put in a top performance. She’s bowled well in the 50-over stuff and carried it into the T20s.
“My own innings wasn’t too bad. It’s tough because we’ve not come out with the win.”
