Lightning edged out in semi

Loughborough Lightning were beaten by Western Storm in a tense semi-final of the Kia Super League at Chelmsford, ending what had been an enjoyable and successful campaign.

Lightning were one of the three new sides created for the KSL alongside Western Storm and Southern Vipers. All three qualified for Finals Day as Surrey, Yorkshire and Lancashire completed the six-team line-up.

Southern Vipers had guaranteed their place in the Final by beating Loughborough in the last round of the group stage, with Lightning and Storm then facing a play-off to reach the title decider.

The first match of the day ended in exciting fashion with Storm, who were formed last winter by a groundbreaking partnership between Somerset, Gloucestershire and the University of Exeter, overcoming a late wobble.

Storm appeared to be comfortable in their pursuit of victory when they pulled level with Loughborough’s total of 124 for seven with eight balls remaining.

But Ellyse Perry, the Australian all-rounder who had already made a superb unbeaten 64 and taken a spectacular boundary catch for the Lightning, then claimed her first wicket.

And when Heather Knight, the Storm and England captain who had steered her team to the brink of victory with 52 off 43 balls, chipped a catch to mid-off, Western nerves were starting to jangle.

Georgia Hennessy stayed cool to strike a full toss from Sophie Devine for the winning boundary, sealing a five-wicket win with three balls to spare.

Although Storm would have taken a lot of momentum and confidence from their success, it was Vipers who ultimately lifted the trophy on a great day of cricket.

Captain Georgia Elwiss and overseas star Perry, two of the key figures in the first Lightning squad based on the Loughborough campus, believe that strong foundations have already been laid, especially in well-attended home games at the Haslegrave Ground.

“Hopefully the best thing that will come out of this is we’ll have a really solid foundation for years to come now,” said Perry, the Australian who signed off for 2016 with an outstanding performance.

“We all feel we’ve learned a little bit. Obviously it didn’t quite come off for us today but I think all the girls through the comp have contributed fantastically well. I know G (Georgia) and the coaching staff have been thrilled by how well the girls have played.

“Those girls have essentially created a bit of a legacy for Loughborough in the Kia Super League. Hopefully we can build on that. We know what we want to do next year to get better and hopefully go one step better to winning.”

No overseas players have yet confirmed that they will be returning to the KSL in 2017, but Elwiss and Lightning would clearly be thrilled to welcome Perry back to the East Midlands.

“Having players like Ellyse come over and offer their experience, it’s lifted everybody,” said the 25-year-old from Staffordshire, who admitted that she had also enjoyed a crash course in high-pressure captaincy.

“The atmosphere around the group and the environment that has been created through the staff and the players has been fantastic and I couldn’t have asked for more of the girls in the competition. They’ve worked so hard.

"Throughout the competition we’ve been involved in some really close games and we’ve wanted to show that fight and that team spirit. Pez diving around for that catch really lifted us in the last couple of overs and we managed to take it to the last over.

“We kept saying out there stranger things have happened in cricket games. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be today but I think the girls can be proud of how they’ve played all competition. Credit to Storm, they played really well and they were deserved winners.”