Northern Diamonds 54 for 1 (Armitage 14*) beat Sunrisers 53 (Gunn 3-10, Brunt 3-11) by nine wickets
Northern Diamonds sparkled in warm sunshine at Fenner's in this Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy clash, demolishing Sunrisers for a meagre 53 and then making short work of the run-chase.
In the picturesque university setting, England opening bowler Katherine Brunt was at her destructive best. She took three wickets for just 11 runs and combined with Beth Langston to skittle the Sunrisers top order and leave them reeling at 16 for 5.
Skipper Amara Carr offered some resistance, sticking around to make 17, but former England all-rounder Jenny Gunn ran through the lower order, picking up Fran Wilson with her first delivery and claiming three wickets for just three runs on the way to match figures of 3 for 10.
Diamonds captain Hollie Armitage was keen to get the match finished quickly and she and Nat Sciver hit two boundaries apiece to bring up the total inside eight overs and inflict a nine-wicket defeat on Sunrisers, their third consecutive loss of the tournament.
The tone for Sunrisers' innings was set early when Alice McLeod and Grace Scrivens fell in consecutive deliveries to Brunt and Langston. The Diamonds pair built the pressure further by bowling a tight line and making it difficult to score. Brunt bowled Cordelia Griffith and Mady Villiers in consecutive overs, while in between, Langston nipped in to knock over Naomi Dattani's stumps.
The carnage continued when Gunn came into the attack in the 14th over and Wilson skied her first ball to mid-off. In Gunn's next over, she bowled Jo Gardner with one that kept low before Kelly Castle found herself castled when she left one that nipped back.
Carr's resistance ended when she charged down the wicket to Linsey Smith and was stumped. Gaya Gole hit a few lusty blows, punching Brunt through the covers for four to take Sunrisers past 50. Leg-spinner Katie Levick ended the fun and the innings by bowling Gole with one that spun back, the sixth Sunrisers batter to have their stumps rearranged.
Diamonds were gifted six runs in wides bowled by Naomi Dattani in the opening over of their run-chase. In her next over, Armitage and Lauren Winfield-Hill went on the offensive, taking 16 from it, including three boundaries.
Kate Coppack claimed a wicket on debut, enticing Winfield-Hill to edge one behind. It was Diamonds' only setback though as they cruised to their target and made an early start back up the motorway.
Armitage praised her side's performance as "outstanding".
"The bowlers really set the tone," she said. "The pitch maybe helped a little bit, but the bowlers just bowled in really consistent areas. The scorecard shows six bowled, so just keeping the stumps in play and they set us off to a really good start."
Danni Warren, Sunrisers' regional director of women's cricket, said: "It's always difficult when you come up against a quality bowling attack. They bowled well at the beginning on a wicket that gave them some assistance. The girls fought all the way to the end and I credit them for that because it's a difficult day to be a player."
