Lancashire 140 for 7 (Threlkeld 48, Lister 42*) beat Durham 122 (Bates 49, Potts 4-33) by 18 runs
Lancashire Thunder produced a gutsy performance in the field to defend 140 to beat Durham by 18 runs at the Bank Homes Riverside and secure their first victory in the 2025 Vitality Blast.
The odds were against Ellie Threlkeld's side when Durham were 61 without loss after eight overs but Grace Potts took four for 33 to derail their pursuit. Threlkeld produced a brilliant stumping to remove the New Zealand legend, Suzie Bates, off Potts for 49 before England's Sophie Ecclestone took two wickets in four balls to end the match
In the first innings of the match, Lancashire Thunder recovered from 76 for five in the 14th over to reach a total that seemed no better than par at best, Threlkeld making 48 and Ailsa Lister clubbing a 23-ball 42 not out.
Lancashire's powerplay was a particular triumph for Durham's Grace Thompson, who caught Tilly Kesteven at midwicket off Trudy Johnson for 11 and then took two wickets in successive legal deliveries to reduce the visitors to 18 for three in the fourth over.
Thompson had Seren Smale caught behind by Bess Heath for a first-ball duck and then had Fi Morris caught at cover by Hollie Armitage, also for nought, the medium pacer's successes only being bridged by a wide delivery.
Lancashire recovered to 35 for three by the end of the powerplay and had reached 60 for three by the midpoint of their 20-over innings. But the chance of any further prosperity was immediately snuffed out when Katie Mack was athletically caught by Katherine Fraser off Johnson for 26 to end her 42-run stand with Threlkeld. And Mady Villiers then produced another fine catch at deep midwicket to get rid of Ecclestone off Katie Levick for seven.
That left Lancashire on 76 for five in the 14th over but some superbly enterprising strokeplay by Threlkeld and Lister saw the pair add 57 for the sixth wicket in six overs before Threlkeld was caught at short third by Mia Rogers off Suzie Bates two short of her fifty. Tara Norris was then bowled first ball but Lister whacked the last ball of the innings for six to hoist the total to 140 for seven.
Thompson was the best of the Durham bowlers, finishing with two for 22 from four overs and Johnson returned figures of two for 26 after an innings in which the spinners were often roughly treated.
In contrast to their opponents, the home side lost no wickets in the powerplay. Instead, Bates and Fraser galloped to 50 for nought without taking discernable risks and Durham had reached 61 without loss in eight overs before both Fraser and Armitage were bowled by slow left-arm deliveries from Sophie Morris, Fraser for 28 and Armitage, three balls later, for one.
Villiers was bowled for two by Grace Johnson in the next over and Durham were 68 for three after ten of their 20 overs. A partial recovery was wrecked when Bates was brilliantly stumped by Threlkeld off Grace Potts for 49 and the same bowler had Bess Heath caught at mid-on by Norris three balls later.
That left Durham needing 46 off six overs and by now the momentum of the game had shifted decisively. Turner and Mia Rogers made 13 apiece and threatened to wrest the game back but Potts dismissed both batters in her final over to leave the home needing 19 off 12 balls with two wickets in hand. Ecclestone, though, had the last word.
