The Northern Diamonds are brimming with confidence ahead of next weekend’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy semi-final, say two of their stars of yesterday’s thrilling one-wicket win over Southern Vipers at Headingley.
Rachel Slater hit the winning runs as Diamonds beat the defending champions to secure their place in the last four, with a home semi-final at Headingley also in the bag next Saturday.
Rebecca Duckworth’s 51 represented her maiden regional fifty as Diamonds, who fell to 216-9, chased down 241 to secure a ninth win in 13 games, including a second on the bounce.
Both players believe the Diamonds will be a dangerous proposition for whichever opponent they face in the last four, something which will be decided this coming Saturday.
All regions play the final round of group matches, with two semi-final places still up for grabs.
The only teams already qualified are the Diamonds and second-placed South East Stars, who play each other at Durham’s Seat Unique Riverside (10.30am).
Diamonds have nothing other than increased confidence and momentum to play for, whereas Stars know a win will also seal a home semi-final tie next Saturday.
For the other two semi-final places, the Vipers, Blaze and Sunrisers will fight things out.
Left-arm seamer Slater, a hero with the bat from number 11 against Vipers, said: “Any team that finishes top and is winning as consistently as we are, you don’t want to come up against a team like that.
“You are the team to beat.
“It’s a long competition now. It’s not just seven games. If you come top, it’s because you’re consistently the best team.
“The Vipers are a very good team. Winning’s a habit, and they’ve shown that. It’s always nice to beat a team like that.
“If you can go into the back end of a tournament and you know you can win games like that when you’ve not played your best, it can give you a lot of confidence.”
Duckworth echoed those thoughts.
She said: “Lauren (Winfield-Hill) got out early, and we didn’t have the big players like Hollie Armitage and Bess Heath. So to get over the line against a team who were second in the league without our main players was a massive confidence booster.
“It just shows if we do lose a few wickets, we have enough in the tank to get over the line in those pressurised moments.
“That game showed that this team has been in big moments before.
“When the pressure’s on, we seem to keep calm.”
Slater, aged 22, has taken four wickets in her last three games for the Diamonds and is enjoying a year to remember.
Back in April, she helped Scotland qualify for next month’s T20 World Cup in the UAE. They played a Global Qualifier event in the same part of the world, and Leeds-raised Slater was the leading wicket-taker with 11.
She has taken 17 wickets for the Diamonds in 50-over and T20 cricket this summer.
The good news is that she will be available for the remainder of the Diamonds campaign, alongside fellow Scot Katherine Fraser.
Their flights to the UAE for the T20 World Cup are currently on hold for shortly after whenever the Diamonds last game is – be it September 14 or, hopefully, September 21 for the final at Leicestershire’s Grace Road.
Ironically, Slater missed the 2022 RHFT final at Lord’s having been on international duty.
She added: “I’ve played a few finals for the Diamonds and come out on the wrong end. I didn’t play in the one we won, but I still feel like I contributed to that win through the year.
“I’m don’t think too much about missing it, but obviously you want to play in the big games. Fingers crossed we can get there and I’m in the team.”
Duckworth, 23, has been with the Diamonds since the start of last season having joined from Lancashire Thunder.
Her 51 against the Vipers was only her third in senior cricket having previously scored two playing for Cumbria and a North Representative XI in county competitions.
She shared 91 for the second wicket with fellow fifty maker Emma Marlow from 5-1 before falling.
“When I got out, I was thinking, ‘Oh no, this doesn’t look great’. But thankfully our two last batters (Slater and Katie Levick) didn’t look like getting out and got us over the line,” she said.
“Dani (Hazell, coach) gave me the call on Tuesday to say that I would be batting a bit further up the order, and it was nice to come in against seam early on.
“I did enjoy batting three, but Hollie bats there so there’s not much chance of that happening when she’s available.
“It’s always tricky coming in and out of the squad, but I know that Dani does believe in me. If I get the opportunity like I did, I have to take it and run with it.
“Thankfully, I was able to do that.”
Stars have won eight of 13 games, including by 20 runs defending 270 against Central Sparks yesterday. They are likely to be captained by wicketkeeper-batter Kira Chathli, the daughter of former Yorkshire chair Harry.