Spirited effort not enough for Yorkshire Women as champions Surrey Women prevail at Headingley

Inspired by international bowler Ryana McDonald-Gay, who took 3-29 in her four overs, and opener Kalea Moore, who bettered those figures with 3-21 from her allocation, the visitors responded wonderfully well to a good Yorkshire powerplay by stymying any major progress once the field had spread.

At 60-1 following the first six overs, the Tykes had set things up for a good day with the bat but there was always a danger that if the ‘big three’ of Lauren Winfield-Hill, Jess Jonassen and Sterre Kalis did not fire, they could struggle and that was the case.

Yorkshire captain Winfield-Hill won the toss and decided to take first use of the pitch, Erin Thomas taking the initiative and punishing anything the Surrey bowlers offered up that was too straight, striking well into the on side in particular to find the boundary.

Together with Winfield-Hill, the pair reached a 50-partnership in 5.3 overs and with the next two balls going for four (a well dug out yorker off Winfield-Hill’s inside edge and then four byes), it was a dominant powerplay.

However, the Yorkshire skipper was bowled by Ryana McDonald-Gay off the final ball of the powerplay and when Thomas went for a well made 42, the rot set in.

For one, Jess Jonassen proved human, being caught hitting down the ground by Paige Schofield off Alice Davidson-Richards for just two. In the face of some excellent bowling by McDonald-Gay, who finished with 3-29, and Dani Gregory (1-21), the Tykes faltered.

Sterre Kalis was unable to play with her usual fluency, stuttering her way to 18 off 24 balls before she became Davidson-Richards’ second wicket, and the catastrophic run out of Beth Langston did not help matters as the hosts’ innings fizzled out, Rachel Slater’s dismissal off the last ball leaving them with an inadequate-looking 133 all out.

Slater was then hammered for 21 in the opening over of the Surrey innings, which was just the start the hosts wanted to avoid and the champions were on their way.

If Jonassen had an off day with the bat she didn’t let it affect her bowling, coming up with a couple of delightful deliveries to dismiss Surrey skipper Bryony Smith for a quickfire 21 and wicketkeeper Kira Chathli for 14.

However, the visitors were always ahead of the required run rate and made short work of their target. Where Yorkshire had failed to back up their openers’ efforts, Surrey kicked on.

Alice Davidson-Richards showed her international abilities with 29, while Australia all-rounder Laura Harris was brutal with anything of good length as the pair took full toll on anything loose in an entertaining partnership of 40.

By the time Davidson-Richards was caught behind by Winfield-Hill off Liv Thomas for, the damage had been well and truly done and even the bonus of having Paige Scholfield run out first ball without scoring could not save Yorkshire.

Harris became Jonassen’s third victim when she was well caught at long off by Kalis for 19 and when McDonald-Gay was bowled by Holly Garton without scoring, the home side began to believe that a shock was on the cards.

However, Jemina Spence (20) and Alice Monaghan (29) steadied the ship for Surrey and steered them home with an unbroken seventh wicket partnership of 45 to win it with 27 balls to spare.