Orla Prendergast’s turned in a sparkling all-round performance as half-century carried The Blaze to a tense three-wicket win over Essex in Chelmsford.
Prendergast came in with the visitors struggling at 61-5, but fluently top-scored with 69 not out from 73 balls to carry her side beyond their target of 214.
The Irishwoman shared an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 111 with her captain Kirstie Gordon, who made an unbeaten 47, as The Blaze emerged victorious with 10.3 overs to spare.
She had earlier returned figures of 2/26 from seven overs to be one of four bowlers - alongside Grace Ballinger, Kathryn Bryce, and Lucy Higham - to take a brace.
With further scalps for Georgia Elwiss and Kirstie Gordon, the hosts were dismissed with four balls to spare for 213, with Amara Carr’s 50 from 45 balls their top score.
Ballinger was first to get on the board as she immediately found in-swing from the third ball of the match to trap talismanic Essex skipper Grace Scrivens lbw for a duck.
She soon struck again, removing Lissy MacLeod for nine with a catch off her own bowling from a leading edge.
Jodi Grewcock, whose 44 was bested only by Carr, and Cordelia Griffith added 48, but the stand was curtailed when the latter hit Elwiss to Prendergast at deep square leg for 26.
Grewcock, who took 15 balls to get off the mark, then eventually chipped one back to Gordon, before Jo Gardner became Prendergast’s first victim when she was lbw for 13.
Just 12 balls later, Sophia Smale then became Prendergast’s second when she was clean bowled for 34, and thereafter, it was Carr virtually standing alone.
Flo Miller added only three before being bowled by Higham, who then added Sophie Munro to her scalps for 15 when a steepling top-edge was claimed by wicketkeeper Amy Jones.
On her 100th appearance for The Blaze, Kathryn Bryce then took care of the last two wickets, with Kate Coppack first bowled for six.
Carr, having nudged the total beyond 200, then suffered the same fate in the final over after reaching her 44-ball half-century, with last batter Esmae MacGregor left unbeaten.
The hosts did make a strong start with the ball, reducing The Blaze to 22-4, only for Marie Kelly’s fluent 37 to restore some order.
However, when she was run out for 37 by a direct hit from Munro, who also claimed two of the first four wickets to go down in returning 2/28, the game shifted into the balance.
Smale bowled Elwiss for 30 just as she threatened to take charge, but Prendergast continued the chase, clubbing a Grewcock full toss over the ropes to keep up the charge.
Another delivery from Smale received the same treatment to almost the very same spot, with her 50 coming in 63 balls.
With the bowlers wilting and offering no answer to the burgeoning partnership, Prendergast launched another straight six to bring the required runs down to just 35.
Frequent boundaries followed, and once 11 came off what turned out to be Coppack’s final over of the game, Gordon hammered back-to-back fours off Grewcock to complete the job.
