Lamb sparkles with bat and ball to snuff out Blaze

ENGLAND all-rounder Emma Lamb delivered a match-winning performance as Lancashire opened the new era of women's county cricket with an emphatic eight-wicket win over The Blaze in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup at Trent Bridge, writes Jon Culley.

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Metro Bank One-Day Cup women’s competition, Trent Bridge: Lancashire (235 for 2) beat The Blaze (234) by 8 wickets with 30 balls to spare

Watched by the national team's new head coach Charlotte Edwards, opening batter Lamb took three for 42 with her off-breaks as The Blaze were restricted to 234 from 50 overs after opting to bat first, before making an unbeaten 130 with the bat as Lancashire chased down their target with five overs to spare.

Scotland captain Kathryn Bryce almost inevitably top-scored with 70 for the home side, with Georgia Elwiss making 49 on debut.

Left-arm spinner Hannah Jones also took three wickets, with England seamer Mahika Gaur picking up two. All out to the last ball of their allocated 50 overs, The Blaze total always looked under par even on a used pitch, with too many batters out to self-inflicted errors.

With the ball, they could not muster the same discipline as their opponents and critically dropped centurion Lamb three times, the opener going on to hit 15 boundaries.

England duo Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones - another Blaze debutant - who opened the innings, were both out to loose shots, Jones when looking well set on 30.