Georgia Elwiss' fifty help Blaze to go past Thunder with dominant run chase

In their second Vitality Blast women's game at Emirates Old Trafford, the Blaze beat Lancashire Thunder by a score of 170 to avenge their semi-final defeat on Monday. Georgia Elwiss, the team's opener, scored 53 points off 43 attempts after yesterday's tie at home against the Bears. She and Marie Kelly, who took 40, shared 101 for the first wicket in 12 overs. With five balls remaining, Kathryn Bryce's nerveless 49 not out off 29 ended the seven-wicket victory. Thunder, the County Cup champions, were inserted on a used pitch at the start of a double header T20 day with the Red Rose and Nottinghamshire men. Katie Mack scored the most runs, scoring 59 out of 37 balls at the top of the order. Thunder finished with an impressive total of 169 for 4. Their first game was this one. On Lancashire's Pride Day, England leg-spinner Sarah Glenn helped remove Mack with a brilliant diving one-handed catch at backward point. She struck once with her leg-spinners for the visitors. Before making way for her compatriot, the international leg-spinner Alana King, Thunder overseas Mack will play the first three games of this competition. Mack displayed a great deal of originality, and he was backed by a quartet of scores from the 1920s composed by opening partner Tilly Kesteven, Seren Smale, Fi Morris, and Sophie Ecclestone. Within the first six overs, Mack and Kesteven shared 50 runs, and Lancashire were 106 for two in the 13th over when Mack was superbly caught by Glenn off the seam of Elwiss.