Blackpool Cricket Club Women lift Lancashire T20 crown

The Stanley Park club were making their third finals day appearance in six years but had previously fallen at the semi-final stage.

Finals day, held at Northern CC in Crosby, began with the semis in which Blackpool were drawn against Leyland for the second successive year and won by three runs.

Blackpool were put in and restricted to 98-8 by tight Leyland bowling. The experienced Gemma Kennedy held the innings together with 21, while opener Phoebe Wragg top-scored with 22.

The Leyland reply started well but wickets from successive deliveries by Katie Galligan saw the momentum swing Blackpool's way.

Hannah Knowles bowled a fast and hostile spell, backed up by Kennedy and Bobbi Campbell, while Galligan finished with 3-18 from her four overs.

Hannah Jenkinson bowled the final over, from which Leyland required eight for victory. Four singles and a dot ball left Leyland needing a boundary from the last delivery, but another dot ball meant Blackpool were in their first final.

Blackpool again batted first in the final – this time after winning the toss – against a Burnley side who had seen off Sefton Park in their semi.

Openers Wragg (23) and captain Caroline Blundell (12) got the innings off to a fast start before Knowles added 20.

Burnley’s Hannah Farrar took three wickets, though a quickfire 31 from Natalie Kaye saw Blackpool to 122-5.

Burnley also began strongly until vice-captain Knowles had top-scorer Eloise Clegg (27) caught by Wragg.

It was an amazing catch by the wicketkeeper as the ball ricocheted off her gloves and into her throat, but Wragg reacted quickly with a diving, one-handed catch.

This sparked something of a collapse and Jenkinson was the pick of the bowlers with 3-17 from four overs.

There were also wickets for Kennedy, Lucy Garlick and Karlie Manton, while the excellent fielding of 15-year-old Milla Brotherwood deserved special mention.

Nicole Harvey’s 26 kept Burnley in with a chance and 17 were needed from the final over to be bowled by Galligan.

The 16-year-old showed nerves of steel, conceding only two singles and wrapping up the innings with four dot balls as Blackpool triumphed.

Captain Blundell expressed her pride at seeing all the players’ hard work rewarded. Coach Roger Garlick said: “What an unbelievable achievement from this group of players. They are a pleasure to work with and their team spirit is second to none.”