Inspired by Priya Khatkar and Charlotte Stubbs, Surrey start their 50-over campaign at Reigate in a smashing fashion, handing Hampshire a humbling defeat by seven wickets.
Khatkar (5/10) and Stubbs (3/13) wreaked havoc with the ball, skittling Hampshire for 101, before the batters aced the chase inside 17 overs, with Stubbs (34*) top-scoring, to round off a perfect day for The Three Feathers.
Landing on the spot relentlessly and giving the batter nothing to work with, Khatkar spun a web around Hampshire in her non-stop 10-over spell that concluded with the 25-year-old securing her five-wicket-haul for Surrey. Her figures of 5-3-10-5 were a testament to her brilliance with the ball.
In their approach of the chase, the Three Feathers were unforgiving and maintained a high tempo, looking to score off every opportunity possible. After quick starts from the top order, an unbeaten, easy-on-the-eye partnership of 60 from 64 balls between Stubbs and Laxmi Johal (24*) took Surrey past the finish line.
Electing to bat first, Hampshire began steadily and reached 46 for no loss with relative ease, but the arrival of Stubbs and Khatkar – who bowled in tandem after the opening spell from Charlotte Lambert and debutant Anna Lewis – spelt trouble for the visitors.
The left-arm spinner answered her skipper’s call immediately, breaking the opening partnership by dismissing Rachel King for 16 and then cleaning up Pippa Sproul (0) in a double-wicket maiden. In the next over, Stubbs matched Khatkar’s act, claiming two victims of her own in the shape of Finty Trussle (19) and Danielle Ransley (0), leaving Hampshire 47 for 4.
Wickets continued to fall like a deck of cards during Khatkar and Stubbs’ spell as 47 for 4 quickly became 62 for 7, with Stubbs removing Alice Monaghan (1) before Khatkar’s double strike of Annabella Mitchell (1) and Caitlin Chissell (1).
After Stubbs was taken out of the attack following her five-over burst, Hampshire showed a bit of resistance, which was broken when Claudie Cooper got Ashneet Chahal caught by Amy Gordon for 18 off 43 balls.
Khatkar and Cooper (2/29) shared the remaining two wickets as Hampshire struggled to 101 all out.
The visitors got off to an encouraging start with the ball as Emily Wilson removed Daisy Feast for no loss but couldn’t build on it, with Surrey motoring along towards an unthreatening target.
Maddie Blinkhorn-Jones (17) and Amy Gordon (10) timed the ball well before Stubbs, who struck three fours and a six in her exciting cameo, and Johal knocked down the target with immense ease.
