By Ben Kosky at The Kia Oval
SURREY skipper Kira Chathli returned to the side with her highest score of this year’s Metro Bank One Day Cup to secure victory against Lancashire at The Kia Oval last weekend.
Chathli, who sat out the previous Tuesday’s win over Essex, struck an unbeaten 88 from 101 balls, while Australian all-rounder Maitlan Brown signed off her stint at Surrey with 62 from 74 as the pair added 134 from 154 for the fifth wicket.
Earlier, Brown’s efforts of 3-46 with the ball – in tandem with leg-spinner Dani Gregory’s 3-42 – helped restrict the visitors to 246-9, built around Eve Jones’ third half-century of the tournament.
The Lancashire opener top-scored with 69, sharing a partnership of 70 from 86 with Grace Johnson, but it was not enough to stave off the holders’ third consecutive defeat.
“Our openers did a great job, to be honest, they swung the momentum early and it really set us up nicely,” Brown said. “Losing a couple of wickets meant the momentum swung in their favour so it was really important for Kira and I to focus on a partnership, look to build and take it as deep as we could.
“Kira did so well with the bat. We tried not to feel the pressure, we had so much time and we knew if we could stay in, it’s a great wicket and outfield here.
“It was definitely nice to finish off my stint at Surrey with a win and I’m super proud of the girls. My main goal was to come off the field knowing I’d had fun and found joy in the day and it’s pretty cool to succeed in that.
“I’ve honestly had a great time and I’m super grateful to the group. I’m definitely going to miss them – we’ve got so many talented players and I can’t wait to watch them from afar and cheer them on back home.
“The girls are on a really exciting trajectory. I’m looking forward to seeing what they do the rest of the season and hopefully I can come back again next year.”
Surrey are next in One Day Cup action against The Blaze in Beckenham on Saturday, June 13 (10.30am).
