In their Charlotte Edwards Cup encounter with South East Stars at Edgbaston, England and Worcestershire Women’s Rapids spinner Sarah Glenn picked up three wickets but ended up on the losing side for Central Sparks.
It was the Sparks’ first defeat in the 2022 competition, but they still head Group B with two games to go, including next Saturday’s meeting with Western Storm at New Road (2.30pm).
Glenn came into the attack for the eighth over and struck with her third delivery and the first ball of her third and fourth overs.
She bowled her overs in one spell and ended with figures of 4-0-17-3 with one of her victims stumped and the other two bowled.
Women’s Rapids team-mate, Emily Arlott, bowled her four overs for 24 runs as South East Stars totalled 148-6 in their 20 overs.
Central Sparks had reached 33-2 in 3.3 overs when rain caused a 55-minute delay and a revised target of 102 in 12 overs under the Edgbaston lights.
They were reduced to 59-7 before Glenn (14 not out) and Arlott (19 not out) put on an unbroken 32, but the Sparks went down by ten runs.
The Sparks next take on Sunrisers at Northampton on Wednesday before heading to New Road for the finale.
Women’s Rapids player, Ellie Anderson, produced some remarkable figures when playing for the Central Sparks Academy in a T20 friendly against the Lightning Academy at Moseley CC.
Anderson took the new ball and dismissed the first four batters during an opening spell of 3-1-2-4.
She returned to add one more wicket in a final analysis of 4-1-7-5 as Lightning were restricted to 82-8 in reply to Central Sparks 151-5.
Another Women’s Rapids player in Charis Pavely shared the new ball and returned 4-0-20-2.
