It was an emphatic victory for Central Sparks in the top of the table clash against Southern Vipers, as Sparks bowled their way to a 120-run win.
Emily Arlott, the standout player of the match, was part of an incredible bowling performance from the Sparks, taking a hattrick and 5-29 to give Vipers their first taste of defeat in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
The bowlers were able to build on the excellent platform the batters had built in the first innings, with captain Eve Jones leading by example, scoring 55, backed up by Gwen Davies (45) and Sarah Glenn (40).
Sparks took a patient approach after winning the toss and electing to bat, which ultimately paid off, scoring 224 on a difficult pitch.
In a change up in the batting order, Milly Home opened with Eve Jones and after a solid start, fell for 11 to Charlotte Taylor. Taylor got a second wicket when Kelly edged to first slip without scoring, with Charlie Dean making an immediate impact in the attack, bowling Amy Jones for five.
Despite wickets falling at the opposite end, Jones kept composed alongside Gwen Davies, who together put on a 71-run partnership before Jones was run out for 55.
Butler then fell for 2, before Davies fell lbw for 45 as the sixth wicket to fall. Sarah Glenn then came in and played fluidly, finding the boundary to guide Sparks to a total of 225, with some acceleration at the back of the innings.
It was an electric bowling performance that followed, with Wong and Arlott putting on an amazing display of opening bowling. Wong got the first wicket, bowling Adams for three before Emily Arlott took centre stage to reduce Vipers to 17/5.
Four wickets fell in one over, as Bouchier was trapped lbw for one, Elwiss dismissed in the same fashion without scoring and Dean edging behind first ball, to bring Arlott onto her hattrick ball, which bowled McCaughlan.
Despite resilience from Danni Wyatt, who scored 50 from 62 balls, Sparks took wickets at regular intervals after the first 10 overs to bowl Vipers out for 104 and seal victory.