The Infernos became Super 4s champions in the debut year of the competition, hosted at Emirates Riverside.
England Cricketer and World Cup winner Danielle Hazell presented the trophy to the winners in what was only the second time a women’s game has been played at the County Ground.
Result: Durham Infernos (87/1) beat Durham Panthers (86/4) by nine wickets.
Opening batter Layla Tipton was clinical with the bat for the Infernos, scoring 45 not out, to help the team get over the line with five overs to spare.
The Panthers, batting first, ended their innings on 86 but this was not enough to claim the title.
The Infernos were deservedly presented the trophy by Hazell, who said: “It (the Super 4s competition) is a fantastic opportunity for all the girls involved and it’s good for Durham to show that there’s a lot of depth in women’s cricket and hopefully they can push on from here.”
Talking about the Super 4s competition being only the second occasion when Emirates Riverside have hosted women’s fixtures, Hazell added: “The more women’s and girls’ cricket that’s played up here, the more chance we get to play on these kinds of stages. It’s only going to push the game forward and hopefully we can see a few girls moving on from Durham maybe into England level.”
The Super 4s featured four teams – Hawks, Rockets, Panthers and Infernos, made up of some of the best female cricketers in the region and showcased the highest level of women’s grassroots cricket the region has to offer.
The competition was organised by Durham County Cricket Board in a bid to link up and further strengthen the existing women’s structure in the region by creating further opportunities for players to compete and develop at a higher playing level.
Women’s and Girls’ Cricket Development Officer Marsha Davies said: “It was a really good day and I think the girls enjoyed themselves. There was a real buzz about the competition on the day and this is what we wanted to achieve.
“It was only the first year that we’ve ran the competition but I think now that the girls have seen the atmosphere and running of the competition, they’ll be excited to get selected to be a part of it next year.
“Having seen such a successful day, I can see the Super 4s becoming one of the most renowned events in the cricket calendar in the next few years.”
Final
In the final the Infernos won the toss and elected to field. Captain Laura Ellison seemed to have taken the right decision after a super catch from Rachel Foreman got Panther’s captain Rachel Hopkins out in the third over.
Having scored just 16 runs in six overs, the Panthers needed to pick up the pace and it was Harriet Robson, 29 not out, and Madeline Atkinson, 30, who boosted the result to finish on 86/4.
In reply, the Infernos demonstrated steady batting with opening batters Layla Tipton and Emily Thompson not losing any wickets until the eight over when an excellent catch from Hopkins got Thompson out.
Tipton finished unbeaten on 45 to take her team to the win with five overs to spare. The Infernos finished on 87/1 to claim the Super 4s title at Emirates Riverside.
Tipton said after the game: “We all played well as a team, all put contributions in and got the result that we wanted.”
Talking about being the first ever winners of the Super 4s, Tipton said: “I feel like we set the standard and next year hopefully it will be even better.”
Semi-Finals
In the semi-finals, the Infernos claimed a 44-run victory over the Hawks, while the Panthers qualified through to the final after dominating the Rockets in a seven-wicket win.
In the Infernos vs Hawks semi-final, the Infernos won the toss and elected to bat. Ellison’s team got off to a poor start, being 14/3 in the fifth over. The Infernos managed to recover after a strong performance from Bailey Wanless, who contributed 62 runs towards the final total of 136.
For the Hawks, it was also a slow start, with Ellison taking two wickets to restrict the Hawks to 25/4 in the eight over. Although the Hawks picked up their pace with Ellie Tiffin scoring 20 and Caroline Jamieson contributing 15 not out, the team fell short of the target to finish on 92.
In the second semi-final, Panthers vs Rockets, the Panthers won the toss and elected to field. The Rockets, captained by Bethany Walker, posted 89/6, with Phoebe Cottam finishing unbeaten on 48. Erin Denyer showcased some skilful bowling for the Panthers for the fall of two wickets.
In response, Hopkins, captaining the Panthers, hit 47 not out to help her team get over the line at 91/3 with six overs to spare.