Foxes Thrash Steelbacks To Secure Quarter-Final Spot
Sun 18 May 2025
Leicestershire Women have set up a Vitality T20 Women's County Cup quarter-final against Lancashire Thunder after sealing a thumping 41-win over Northamptonshire Steelbacks on Saturday.
Francesca Sweet starred with bat and ball, scoring her second successive fifty before snaring three for 10, while Holly Whitfield’s four wickets also helped the Foxes into the last eight.
Winning the toss and batting first, Leicestershire welcomed Flora Davies, D’Nica Roff and Ellen Watson back into the XI, while Laura Crofts made her T20 debut for the Club.
It was a decision that was vindicated immediately, as captain Becki Brooker and opening partner Sweet raced out of the traps. The pair pummelled 15 runs off Ella Phillips’ second over, featuring a huge six over mid-wicket for Sweet, to advance the score to 26 without loss after four.
Successive Sweet boundaries brought up the fifty partnership with Brooker, as the former Sussex batter danced down the track to hit Steelbacks spinner Anisha Patel to the ropes.
The 20-year-old was celebrating her own half-century four overs later, with a powerful late cut off Lenny Sims speeding to the ropes. It was Sweet’s second consecutive fifty, made off just 36 balls, backing up her knock against Yorkshire in the One Day Cup on Thursday.
With the score on 80, her departure three deliveries later - bowled by Sims - sparked a flurry of wickets. Brooker (31) and Lucy Weston (0) were caught in successive overs, before confusion between Flora Davies and Watson saw the latter run out for four.
Ellie Phillips (8) found the fence at the end of the 18th off her namesake, but it was to be the final boundary of the innings, as four further wickets tumbled in the final two overs. Leicestershire ending on 116 for eight.
Northants’ reply was stifled immediately by Phillips, who took two wickets in as many overs in identical fashion. Captain Gemma Marriott (1) and number three Amelia Kemp (6) both bowled through the gate via prodigious in-swing.
With the hosts 38 for two after the Powerplay, the game was in the balance. Then came Whitfield’s hot streak. With her very first delivery, she coaxed Abby Butcher (16) into top-edging a ball to ‘keeper Watson, before a magical second over brought two more rewards.
Alicia Presland (2) fell to a similar ploy, shovelling a short ball to Brooker at mid off from the first ball of the ninth, and Mabel Reid (0) edged behind to Watson in a tortured four-ball innings. The all-rounder had figures of 2.3-1-5-4 when the dangerous Beth Ascott (17) became the third victim of the Whitfield-Watson combination. Northants now 51 for six midway through over number 11.
Sweet got revenge on Sims (12), caught by Emma Thatcher, before her outing got even sweeter when she bowled a double-wicket maiden in the 16th to all but rubber stamp victory for the Foxes.
Crofts had the honour of picking up the final wicket, as Patel skewed to Weston for a single. The hosts all out for 75 in 16.4 overs, giving Leicestershire a 41-run triumph at The County Ground. Whitfield finishing with figures of 4-1-13-4, Sweet 4-1-10-3.
Leicestershire will now take on Lancashire Thunder at Kibworth in the quarter-finals at Kibworth on Friday, as they bid to seal a spot at Finals Day on Bank Holiday Monday.
