Davies finishes group stage as top wicket-taker, runs for Adams, Taylor & Wyatt

We catch up with the Sussex players' contributions as this year's Kia Super League group stage reached its conclusion. Next up is finals day at The 1st Central County Ground on Sunday where Western Storm, Loughbourough Lightning & Southern Vipers battle for the title. Tickets are available here!

Danni Wyatt’s fabulous individual form continued despite a difficult end to the group stages for Southern Vipers. She followed up her maiden hundred in the competition with scores of 56 off 32 balls in the defeat to Western Storm last Tuesday, 59 off 32 balls in a thrilling three-run win against Yorkshire Diamonds the following day and 42 off 20 balls in a four-wicket loss to Yorkshire Diamonds on Sunday. A rare failure followed when Danni was dismissed for a first-ball duck in the Vipers’ final group game against the Lightning, but the opener still finished as the group stage’s second highest run-scorer. Paige Scholfield scored useful lower order runs with her 24 from 19 balls against the Storm and bowled one over for eight runs in the defeat to the Lightning. Despite losing three of their final group games, the Vipers’ form earlier in the tournament ensured their safe passage through to finals day at The 1st Central County Ground on Sunday.

Smile if you’re going to Hove on Sunday for Finals day! 😁 @VipersKSL 💥🏏 pic.twitter.com/NckeYlp4dH

— Danielle Wyatt (@Danni_Wyatt) August 29, 2019

Sussex skipper Georgia Adams scored her maiden KSL fifty last Tuesday as Loughborough Lightning won all four of their final group games to secure second-place and with it  their place at finals day as well. She top-scored with 50 from just 33 balls as the lightning beat Lanashire Thunder by 35 runs in rain-affected match. Georgia Elwiss was the next top-scorer with 38 from 33 balls and also took the wicket of Indian-international Harmanpreet Kaur during the Thunder’s unsuccessful chase. There was another wicket for Elwiss in Loughborough’s five-wicket win over Surrey Stars on Friday, as well as 18 runs. Adams made three. Elwiss wasn’t required with bat or ball as her team met the Thunder again on Sunday, while Adams – promoted to number three – chipped in with a five-ball eleven as the Lightning romped to an eight-wicket victory. That secured the Lightning’s place at finals day before their 36-run over fellow qualifiers Southern Vipers giving them a psychological advantage ahead of their semi-final meeting. Adams made two and Elwiss a 21-ball 28 as the Lightning reached 163 for 4. That was more than enough as the Vipers were bowled out for 127. Elwiss bowled two overs for 16 runs.

Last ever KSL game today. @YorksDiamonds @LightningKSL @VipersKSL it’s been an absolute pleasure. 👊🏼❤️ pic.twitter.com/zdL2MJv9hf

— Linsey Smith (@LinseySmith95) August 28, 2019

Linsey Smith put in three consistent performances as Yorkshire Diamonds beat Surrey Stars (1 for 17) last Tuesday, lost to Southern Vipers (1 for 27) the day after, and won against Lancashire Thunder (1 for 23) on Friday. The left-arm spinner was more expensive on Sunday against Southern Vipers (0 for 45), but that didn’t stop the Diamonds winning by four wickets. Linsey was back to her miserly best in a ten-over-a-side match on Wednesday night, with her two overs costing just 14 runs as the Diamonds inflicted Western Storm’s only defeat of the group stage. Despite their impressive run of form at the back end of the qualifiers, a slow start meant that Yorkshire missed out on a finals day berth by just three points.

How good is @FreyaRuth?!! 👏👏👏

Diamonds 60/2 from 5.2

LIVE STREAM -> https://t.co/V4ca8CaN46#StormTroopers pic.twitter.com/lKjICdqHbc

— Western Storm (@WesternStormKSL) August 28, 2019

Western Storm stormed straight into Sunday afternoon’s final as their sensational form continued. Freya Davies continued to play a big part in that, taking her second four-wicket haul of the tournament and giving away just 18 runs during the win against the Vipers last Tuesday. Figures of 1 for 31 against Surrey Stars the following day helped the Storm maintain their 100% record, which continued in the return fixture on Sunday as Freya took remarkable figures of two overs, one maiden one for one during the Storm’s 77-run battering of the Stars. It wasn’t until their last match of the group stage that Western Storm slipped up. They lost by five runs to Yorkshire Diamonds, but not before Freya had taken three for seven in her two overs. That meant that she finished the group stage with 18 wickets, six more than anyone else.

Sarah Taylor bounced back from a low score during Surrey Stars defeat to the Diamonds last Tuesday with a magnificent 54-ball 73 against Western Storm the next day. That was not enough to prevent her side losing by four-runs however. Sarah picked up where she left off two days later, making 51 from 46 balls in a five-wicket defeat to Loughborough Lightning. Out of the race for finals day, the defending champions finished their tournament with a 77-run defeat to Western Storm on Sunday and the consolation of a 35-run win against Lancashire Thunder in their final match on Wednesday. Sarah made 34 and one not out respectively.