Surrey's Ryana MacDonald-Gay made her England women's Test debut in December Ryana MacDonald-Gay's career-best T20 figures of 4-14 sparked a spectacular Lancashire Thunder batting collapse as Surrey won by 53 runs and moved seven points clear at the top of the Women's T20 Blast table. Grace Harris scored 57 to help the home side recover from 17-3 and set the visitors 172 for victory in scorching conditions at the Oval, but some calamitous batting from the visitors meant they finished 118 all out. At Edgbaston, Essex pushed the second-placed Bears to the penultimate ball of the match before succumbing to a two-wicket defeat. A 94-run stand between Cordelia Griffith and Maddie Penna and some tight bowling from the visitors looked like it might earn Essex their first away win and a double over the Bears before Charis Pavely blasted her first tournament half-century to edge them over the line. Match scorecards After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first Lancashire were eyeing a third successive victory when Sophie Morris bowled home captain Bryony Smith for four. It got even better for the visitors when England's Sophia Dunkley was bowled by Tara Norris for 10, and Kira Chathli (0) was run out two balls later to leave the home side teetering at 17-3. When Danni Wyatt-Hodge (12) became Morris' second victim with the score at 50 it was left to Grace Harris and Paige Scholfield to repair the damage. Harris smashed two sixes and eight fours in her 31-ball 57, while Scholfield's 37 included five boundaries, including a six. Lancashire's chase was rocked by the early dismissals of Eve Jones (5), Seren Smale (5) and Fi Morris (2) to leave them 32-3 in the sixth over, but hopes were raised by a 70-run fourth-wicket stand between Emma Lamb (64) and skipper Ellie Threlkeld (32). They threatened to take the game to a thrilling climax only for MacDonald-Gay and Phoebe Franklin (3-19) to claim six wickets between them in the space of 3.4 overs to lead Surrey to a fourth victory in five games with Franklin also accounting for Ailsa Lister with a run out along the way. "We probably thought 171 was under par as 180-200 was the goal when I went in and we believed we could defend it," Franklin said. "We've been telling Ryana to back her strengths and keep it as simple as possible and getting that ball to nip back in." Charis Pavely made her first half-century of this year's women's T20 Blast The Bears are back up tosecond placeafter a fourth win in five matches but they were made to work hard by a struggling Essex side. An unbroken 94-run fourth-wicket stand between Griffith (47) and Penna (41) underpinned the Essex total of 150-3 after the visitors had won the toss and elected to bat at Edgbaston. Lauren Winfield-Hill (30) and skipper Grace Scrivens (15) got the visitors off to a solid start as the home bowlers toiled in the Birmingham heat. Winfield-Hill's run out when she hesitated to a Griffith's call for a sharp single had Essex wobbling at 56-3 in the eighth over only for Penna to join Griffith, steady the ship, and set the Bears a challenging total. That target looked a distant one when the tournament's top wicket-taker, Esmae MacGregor, struck twice in the space of three balls to dismiss openers Davina Perrin (3) and Meg Austin (3) and leave the home side 11-2. Issy Wong's 25-ball 33 kept the Bears in the hunt, but when she gambled on a second run and was run out it was left to Pavely (68*) to take the initiative. Having survived an early scare when a lofted shot went through the hands of Sophia Smale at long-on for six, the England under-19 international struck two more maximums and five fours as she steered the home side to victory. "It was one of those situations where it either comes off or it doesn't and luckily it did for me today," Pavely said. "It's a case of having the confidence to go for it in those conditions. Sometimes you come off and sometimes you don't but it was nice to play that role today." Taunton: Somerset v Hampshire Hawks (14:30 BST) Leicester: The Blaze v Lancashire Thunder (14:30 BST)
Surrey and Bears win in Women's T20 Blast
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"Surrey and Birmingham Bears Secure Wins in Women's T20 Blast"
Bbc News
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TruthLens AI Summary
Surrey's Ryana MacDonald-Gay delivered a standout performance in the Women's T20 Blast, achieving her career-best T20 figures of 4-14, which played a pivotal role in securing a 53-run victory over Lancashire Thunder. The match took place under scorching conditions at the Oval, where Surrey, after winning the toss and electing to bat first, set a challenging target of 172 runs. Despite a shaky start that saw them at 17-3, Grace Harris's explosive 57 runs helped stabilize the innings, allowing Surrey to post a total of 171 runs. In response, Lancashire's batting lineup crumbled under pressure, with MacDonald-Gay and Phoebe Franklin combining to take six wickets in just over three overs. This victory marked Surrey's fourth win in five matches, allowing them to extend their lead at the top of the table with a seven-point advantage over their closest rivals.
In a closely contested match at Edgbaston, the Bears triumphed over Essex by two wickets, pushing them back into second place in the standings. Essex set a competitive total of 150-3, largely thanks to a solid partnership of 94 runs between Cordelia Griffith and Maddie Penna, who contributed 47 and 41 runs respectively. The Bears faced early setbacks in their chase, finding themselves 11-2 after losing two key wickets. However, Charis Pavely played a crucial innings, scoring an unbeaten 68 runs, which included several boundaries that helped steer the Bears to victory with only two wickets remaining. Pavely's performance exemplified the importance of confidence and adaptability in challenging conditions, as she stepped up when her team needed it most. These results highlight the intense competition in the Women's T20 Blast, as teams vie for crucial points in the league.
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