Heather Knight produced an outstanding all-round performance to propel Somerset to a comfortable five-wicket victory over Essex in the One-Day Cup women’s competition at Taunton Vale.
The former England captain claimed 3-7 with the ball and then made 45 crucial runs with the bat as they ultimately made light work of chasing a target of 185 to register a second win in three games.
Put into bat on a worn pitch, Essex slipped to 2-3 and 50-5 in the face of accurate seam bowling from Laura Jackson and Ellie Anderson, who took 2-12 and 2-44 respectively.
Amara Carr redressed the balance with a defiant innings of 67 from 92 balls with five fours, only for Knight to mop up the tail with her off-breaks as Essex were dismissed for an inadequate 184 in 42.5 overs.
Knight, Sophie Luff and Fran Wilson all contributed useful runs to carry Somerset to within sight of the target before the irrepressible Charlie Dean raced to 45 not out from 49 balls with six fours as Somerset won with 14.1 overs in hand.
Skipper Luff won the toss, inserted the opposition and looked on as her seamers made the most of the new ball.
Having failed to post a score in excess of 200 in their two previous matches, Essex again fell short of expectations, with three of the top four failing to score.
Jo Gardner hit Jackson straight to Dean at mid-wicket, while Anderson had Cordelia Griffith held at slip and then bowled Jodi Grewcock next ball to further undermine the top order.
Under pressure to repair the damage, Essex captain Grace Scrivens led a partial recovery, straight-driving Anderson for an imperious four in adding 48 for the fourth wicket with Flo Miller.
But England spinner Dean struck a crucial blow in the 13th over, Scrivens attempting a back-foot drive, finding Amanda-Jade Wellington at mid-off and departing for a 32-ball 27.
Attempting an ill-advised pull shot against Jackson in the very next over, Miller holed out to Alex Griffiths in the deep as wickets continued to fall in clusters, Essex subsiding to 50-5.
Carr and Sophia Smale launched a cautious recovery of sorts, safely negotiating the spin of Wellington and Dean to add 41 for the sixth wicket.
Somerset’s bowlers continued to build pressure and Smale, having scored 10, played back to Wellington and inadvertently trod on her wicket.
Luff marshalled her bowlers well and Griffiths struck in her first over, Eva Gray driving straight to Knight at silly mid-on and falling for 17, having helped add 37 with Carr.
While the determined Carr continued to hold sway, there was hope for Essex.
She went to 50 from 73 balls and led by example as she attempted to usher the lower order towards a competitive total.
But former England captain Knight accounted for the tail in quick time, pinning Esmae Macgregor and Kate Coppack lbw before bowling the obdurate Carr to wrap up the innings.
Acutely aware of the need to make the new ball count, the visitors engineered an early breakthrough, Gray locating Emma Corney’s outside edge and Smale taking a regulation catch in the slips with 33 on the board.
Although scoring freely remained far from straightforward, Knight and Luff brought their considerable experience to bear upon the situation, staging a reassuring alliance of 38 for the second wicket before the latter nicked behind and succumbed to Abtaha Maqsood’s spin for 24.
Knight had advanced her score to 45 from 41 balls when she was caught behind off the bowling of Maqsood with the score on 96 in the 18th over.
Wilson struck the first six of the match at the expense of Maqsood before losing off stump to Grewcock and departing for 23, a dismissal that kept Essex in the hunt.
But the home side quickly regained control, Dean and Katie Jones playing positively to bring the required rate down and raise thoughts of a bonus point victory.
Jones was eventually run out for 16, but Dean continued to score at a run a ball to hasten victory.
ECB Reporters’ Network supported by Rothesay.
