Tammy Beaumont was left stranded on 99 as her team, The Blaze, beat Somerset in the One Day Cup.
Beaumont stranded on 99*
Dropped from the England squad for the ODIs against New Zealand, Beaumont helped The Blaze beat Somerset in the One-Day clash at the Maer Ground in Exmouth. However, she missed out on an excellent hundred.
Chasing 223, The Blaze were 48-2 when Georgia Elwiss (72 in 76 balls with 11 fours) joined Beaumont. The pair put on 131 in 141 balls to virtually settle the game. However, by the time No.5 Orla Prendergast fell, with 23 runs left to get, Beaumont had to score quickly to get to her hundred before The Blaze got the runs.
The asking rate was never in question. Beaumont was on 91 when Alex Griffiths began the 39th over, while The Blaze needed 16 to win. Wicketkeeper Sarah Bryce, the new batter, hit a four and ran a single, leaving Beaumont to score nine out of the remaining 11 runs for the ton.
Also read: Tammy Beaumont – from rock bottom to world-beater
Four balls remained in the over. Beaumont picked up two boundaries, off the third and sixth balls, but could not score off the other two. That left The Blaze to score two runs – but now Beaumont was off the strike.
It was never to happen, as Bryce hit the first ball of the next over, bowled by Chloe Skelton, for four. Beaumont’s 99 not out came off 118 balls, and was studded with 12 fours and a six.
Earlier in the day, Somerset had recovered from 33-3 and then 96-5 to reach 222-9, largely due to Anika Learoyd’s 118-ball 97 (10 fours) and Griffith’s 58-ball 43 (one four, four six).
With 23 points from six games, The Blaze now sit at the top of the points table, while Somerset (13 in six) are fourth.



