Ecclestone stars as Lancs beat Surrey in T20 final

Vitality T20 Women's County Cup, Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton

Lancashire Thunder 172-6 (20 overs): Kesteven 77; Moore 4-27

Surrey 140-7 (20 overs): Franklin 41; Ecclestone 4-12

Lancashire won by 32 runs

Match scorecard

Lancashire Thunder became nan first winners of nan caller Vitality T20 Women's County Cup pinch a 32-run triumph complete Surrey successful nan last astatine Taunton.

Opener Tilly Kesteven deed 77 disconnected 60 balls, putting connected 86 for nan first wicket pinch Emma Lamb (27), while Fi Morris made a accelerated 27 arsenic Lancashire posted 172-6.

Chasing nan highest full connected a time which besides saw nan 2 semi-finals played, Surrey made a accelerated commencement done openers Bryony Smith (25) and Kira Chathli (21).

Phoebe Franklin added a brisk 41, but spinner Sophie Ecclestone (4-12), left retired of nan England squad for nan West Indies series, helped put nan brakes connected arsenic Surrey fell good short.

Earlier Lancashire hit The Blaze by 7 wickets successful a rain-affected 2nd semi-final to group up a showdown pinch Surrey who edged to a three-wicket triumph complete Warwickshire, pinch 2 balls to spare, successful a low-scoring game.

After showers had delayed their successful semi-final chase, Lancashire soon recovered themselves batting again aft Surrey skipper Smith won nan flip and opted to section first.

She whitethorn person regretted nan determination erstwhile 20-year-old Kesteven raced to her first elder fifty, disconnected conscionable 37 balls, arsenic nan Red Rose raced to 86-0 aft 10 overs.

Lamb fell nan very adjacent shot to Tilly Corteen-Coleman, but Lancashire continued to attack.

Off-spinner Kalea Moore removed Seren Smale for a brisk 19 and 3 balls later knocked backmost Kesteven's off-stump.

Yet Morris maintained nan tempo pinch immoderate precocious hitting, striking 3 fours and a immense six successful a 12-ball 27, earlier falling to Moore (4-27) who picked up 2 much wickets successful nan last over.

In an explosive commencement to nan chase, Chathli launched Kate Cross for 2 sixes, but was castled adjacent shot by nan England seamer, and Smith past deed 4 successive boundaries disconnected Grace Potts earlier holing retired going for a fifth.

Ecclestone - who sent down 15 dots - removed Paige Scholfield and Emma Jones successful successive balls to propulsion backmost Surrey to 75-4 astatine nan halfway mark.

As nan tally complaint required climbed supra 10, Franklin holed retired for an enterprising 41 disconnected 36 balls to springiness a 3rd wicket to Ecclestone arsenic Surrey slipped to 105-6.

There was defiant hitting from Moore (22 not out) and Ryana Macdonald-Gay (18), but it was excessively little, excessively precocious arsenic Ecclestone had nan last connection by removing nan latter.

The women's T20 Blast competition, which runs alongside nan men's, gets nether measurement connected Friday pinch Surrey backmost successful action astatine Taunton against Somerset.

Lancashire Thunder statesman their Blast run connected Saturday against The Blaze astatine Old Trafford.