Knott ties up win for The Blaze

Yorkshire 0 points, The Blaze 4 points

A notable all-round display from Australian all-rounder Charli Knott helped The Blaze warm up for Friday’s Vitality Blast Finals Day with a helter-skelter three-wicket victory over Yorkshire in their last group-stage game at Headingley.

Last year’s semi-finalists had already qualified for The Kia Oval showpiece but clinched their eighth win in 12 games thanks to bowling the hosts out for 122 and recovering from 41 for five in the eighth over of their chase.

Left-arm swing bowler Grace Ballinger returned three for 31, while Charley Phillips and Kirstie Gordon struck twice apiece added to two run outs. But Knott’s miserly one for 19 from four overs of off-spin was followed up by a brilliant and composed career best 84 not out off 57 balls.

Yorkshire had three batters make 23 and captain Lauren Winfield-Hill top-scoring with 29 as they missed the chance to claim a fourth straight win. Academy leg-spinner Holly Garton impressed with two for 17 as The Blaze won with five balls remaining.

Seamer Phillips got Ami Campbell caught at midwicket in the opening over, and Yorkshire fell to 89 for four in the 13th over having elected to bat.

Jess Jonassen hit two eye-catching boundaries down the ground off Ballinger but fell for 23 to the last ball of the powerplay when chipping Gordon’s left-arm spin to mid-on.

Opener Erin Thomas later miscued Ballinger to mid-off, also on 23, before captain Winfield-Hill was lbw to her Queensland team-mate Knott having advanced confidently to 29.

Yorkshire were then plunged into big trouble when Sarah Glenn and Alice Clarke fell in the 16th over, leaving the score at 104 for six. Glenn was caught at deep backward square-leg pulling at Phillips and Clarke run out.

Gordon struck again as The Blaze tightened the screw before three wickets fell in Ballinger’s last over of the innings, including another run out. She bowled Sterre Kalis for 23 and Jess Woolston.

Yorkshire opened the bowling with spin and gave themselves hope by reducing The Blaze to 24 for four inside five overs.

Sarah Bryce was caught behind to a turning delivery from teenaged leg-spinner Holly Garton, who struck with her first ball for the second game running before adding the scalp of Marie Kelly caught at mid-on. Sandwiched in between, Jonassen bowled Kathryn Bryce.

England’s Glenn trapped Georgia Elwiss lbw with her leg-spin. But Knott, in at four, hit four of her first six balls to the boundary.

And her presence proved key, despite losing Emma Jones bowled pulling at Woolston’s seam - 41 for five in the eighth.

When Knott reached her fifty in 36 balls, The Blaze were 72 for five in the 14th over and she had impressive captain Gordon for company.

The sixth-wicket pair chipped away at the target rather than raced to it, sharing 75.

Gordon contributed 24 before falling as one of two quick wickets.

With four to win off Hannah Rainey in the last over, Knott hit the winning boundary off the first ball.

Yorkshire captain Lauren Winfield-Hill said: “It wasn’t a traditional Headingley wicket. I thought it was a bit slower and lower. I reckon we were 15 short and then we probably didn't field very well.

“We did well to take it to the last over, but there were some basic balls that we dived over which could have been stopped.

“It's been a bit of a theme, you know. The games that there's not much in, usually it comes back to our fielding. When you've got such a small total on the board and you're under par, you've got to make sure that you're stopping them in the ring.

“Charli played beautifully for them. It was pretty changeless, though I don’t think we bowled well at her at times.

“She moved around the crease, and we just sort of came away from what was working, probably for only a few balls.

“But there were probably three balls that all went for four, and that's 12 runs. That’s the difference in a low-scoring affair.”

The Blaze head coach Craig Cumming said: “Friday was really satisfying because we had to win that to make Finals Day (home win over Somerset). Today, we bowled brilliantly on a good pitch to restrict Yorkshire. The out-fielding was very good.

“Batting wise, we made it very hard work bar Charli Knott. There are a lot of lessons from watching how she played. She’s very planned, highly-skilled, and she reacts to what’s bowled to her.

“We need to go away and score more runs at Finals Day. We’re probably going to be playing Surrey.

“Still, we’re very proud. We’ve had a long campaign, a lot of disruption.

“I always say that the main thing is to get to the dance floor, which we’ve done. We’ve faced a bit of adversity and got ourselves back up.”