Report: Bears Women vs Somerset Women, Vitality Blast

Laura Harris continued her remarkable start at Edgbaston by clubbing Bears Women to a 69-run Vitality Blast victory over Somerset.

Harris followed her 16-ball half-century on her debut in Birmingham last week with an equally spectacular 77 from 34 balls to lift Warwickshire to 172 for nine. Her barrage completed the team’s strong recovery from 30 for three after Mollie Robbins (three for 24) took three wickets in her first ten balls.

Somerset replied with a meagre 103. Fran Wilson struck 31 (32) but the innings was unravelled by spinners Georgia Davis (three for 12) and Millie Taylor (three for 13). The visitors’ third successive defeat came with an additional worry after Emma Corney was stretchered from the field after her leg twisted the wrong way as he stooped to collect a ball in the outfield.

Somerset chose to bowl and started strongly as Robbins took wickets with her first, fifth and tenth balls. Her first struck Abi Freeborn on the back leg and won an lbw decision, Issy Wong then drove to mid off before, and Davina Parrin was bowled through an attempted leg-side hit.

Five quickfire boundaries from Nat Wraith and Sterre Kalis sprang the score to 54 for three at the end of the powerplay before Wraith’s middle stump was disturbed by Amanda-Jade Wellington’s second ball. 

Somerset had started well but were disrupted by the worrying delay while Corney was treated on the outfield. Upon the resumption, Charis Pavely lifted Alex Griffiths to long on, bringing in Harris, who lifted her second ball into the South Stand for six.

Kalis’s perky 32 (27) ended most cruelly; she was run out backing up, but Harris charged to her fifty in 19 balls. The Aussie went on to hit nine fours and four sixes to emphatically vindicate her move down the order to get at the spinners.

A target of 173 was a tall one for a Somerset side short of runs in the tournament so far, and their reply took an early hit when Rebecca Odgers fell lbw to Wong. AC Munday pulled Hannah Hardwick for six but was then lured down the pitch by Davis and stumped.

The visitors entered the second half of their reply with only two wickets down but needing 11 per over, and that scoreboard pressure took its toll against the Bears’ impressive spin attack. Sophie Luff skied a return catch to Hannah Baker, Wellington was bowled, reverse-sweeping, by Taylor, and Davis dismissed Wilson and Griffiths, caught at mid off and backwards point respectively. 

Chloe Taylor chipped to extra cover off Taylor, who soon trapped Robbins lbw and when Hannah Jones lifted Wong to long on, with Corney unable to bat, Somerset’s tough day was complete.

Batter Laura Harris said, “They have both been lovely wickets to bat on so far and the coaches have just backed me to go out there and enjoy playing cricket. 

“It has been pleasing to start at Edgbaston with a couple of good scores. You come off pre-season and might have felt good hitting balls in an indoor centre but you are not quite sure where you are at, so it’s definitely a huge confidence booster, coming into games and seeing form turn into runs.

“There is a lot of talent in the Warwickshire side. In tournaments like this you can’t just build a winning team just around your international players. We are just there to support the domestic players and there is a whole lot of skill in the group here. It’s just a matter of trying to encourage that confidence in them to play as well as they can.

“There is a really good group of spinners here and they all contributed today and Hannah Hardwick came in and bowled a brilliant first over. It’s an exciting group.”