Paige Scholfield’s scintillating 89 from 42 balls led Surrey to a tense 3-wicket win over Yorkshire under the Duckworth Lewis method in a rain-reduced 44-over game.
The South African-born right-hander flayed the White Rose county to all parts in a devastating display of hitting as, despite a late wobble, the hosts chased down a revised target of 193 with 19.3 overs to spare at the Kia Oval.
Earlier the Yorkshire innings of 185 became embroiled in controversy when skipper and former England opener Lauren Winfield-Hill showed dissent after being wrongly given out for 60, a display of petulance which cost her side five penalty runs.
Georgie Boyce and Jess Jonassen provided as wicket apiece for Tilly Corteen-Coleman (3-27) and Kalea Moore (3-22) before Winfield-Hill and Stere Kalis batted positively.
Winfield-Hill unfurled an array of shots all around the wicket, There was a cut behind square and a punch through midwicket, before another shot off the thigh scorched to the fence at square leg as she raced to 50 in 55 balls.
Kalis (38) too found her rhythm crashing two free hits from Alice Monaghan through mid-off for four.
The controversy that ended their stand of 74 came shortly after a rain delay, Winfield-Hill given out after being struck on the helmet. Her reluctance to leave the crease and continued remonstrations while making her way off, leading the umpires to impose the five-run penalty.
The incident had a doubly detrimental effect with Kalis departing just two balls after her captain nicking Maitlin Brown through to wicketkeeper Kira Chatli.
Thereafter despite cameos from Maddie Ward and Ami Campbell Yorkshire fell away, their last four wickets falling without a run scored.
Surrey lost Bryony Smith early in reply, but still got off to a flier courtesy of two sixes in an over from Scholfield, Claudie Cooper the bowler on the receiving end.
Scholfield was given a life on 40, a lofted drive brushing the tips of Beth Langston’s fingers at mid-on, the ball travelling all the way for four to rub salt in the wound.
Scare survived the Scholfield raised her half century in 25 balls with her ninth four and eight more boundaries followed before she and skipper Kira Chathli fell in successive balls to Ward (3-38).
The seamer flattened Jemima Spence’s stumps to claim a third wicket and when Beth Langston bowled Brown for nought Yorkshire sniffed an unlikely win.
Moore’s dismissal for a sprightly 16 further raised the tension, but England all-rounder Alice Davidson-Richards, who’d hit one towering six, kept her head to make an unbeaten 35, winning the game with successive fours.
