Bears Women fail to steal Lancashire's Thunder!

ALANA King took two for 16 and Emma Lamb made an unbeaten 60 as Lancashire Thunder beat Bears Women by seven wickets at Emirates Old Trafford to keep their Vitality Blast top-three qualification hopes alive.

- By KEN GRIME

After a promising opening partnership of 39 between Meg Austin and Issy Wong, a good bowling performance led by King saw the Thunder claw back the advantage and it was a quickfire 21 from Laura Harris and a late-innings unbeaten 30 by Katie George that pushed the Bears to a total of 123 for seven after being put in to bat.

Lancashire countered with a good opening stand themselves of 45 between Eve Jones and Lamb, and that was backed up by an even better alliance of 60 in under nine overs between Lamb and Tilly Kesteven for the second wicket.

Despite the loss of a couple of late wickets when the win was all-but assured, the Thunder eased to victory on 124 for three with nine balls to spare. Their victory takes them to within seven points of the third-placed Bears.