KSL Finals review: New rivals repeat final show

What differs this year is finals day will take place on a different weekend to the men’s Vitality Blast T20 competition.

 

Final 1 – 2016- Southern Vipers v Western Storm

In the first finals day, Western Storm played in the semi-final against Loughborough Lightning who they beat to set up a final with Southern Vipers.

In the final Southern Vipers won the toss and put Western Storm into bat. Having already played one game that day it would be interesting to see who held the advantage. Would it be the team who had already played on the pitch or the team that could assess it from the sidelines?

An opening stand of 74 between Stafanie Taylor and Rachel Priest suggested that Western Storm had judged it right. Priest top scored with 57 from 55 balls as Western Storm posted 140 for 5 from their 20 overs.

It was a case of our New Zealander is better than yours as Suzie Bates scored a half-century of her own. Like Western Storm, it was the opening partnership that set the innings up with Bates and Charlotte Edwards scoring 78 between them.

While both those batters were dismissed within six runs of each other Southern Vipers brought home the trophy with 7 balls to spare to win by 7 wickets.

 

Final 2 – 2017 - Southern Vipers v Western Storm

The second final was again between Southern Vipers and Western Storm. It was Surrey Stars the Western Storm beat in the semi-final. The Vipers were technically playing a home game as Hove staged one of their group games.

It was Stafanie Taylor who put in a player of the match style performance with both bat and ball, although that award went to Rachel Priest, and with good reason.

Southern Vipers posted 145 for 5 from their allotted overs. Taylor was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 28. No Vipers batter scored over 31.

Priest with a typical blitz of an innings put Western Storm. A second wicket partnership of 52 between Priest and Fran Wilson saw the Wilson only add 8 of the runs.

On 94 Priest was dismissed by Katie George as she went for one big hit too many. By that time though she had added 72 of those runs.

Taylor and Sophie Luff both with 30 not out ensured that their side won by 7 wickets with two overs to spare.

So it is one KSL title each between the only finalists. Could this be the year we see a change in that dominance or are we set for another repeat? Only time will tell.