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All-round Jess Jonassen guides Yorkshire to maiden Tier 1 victory

Jess Jonassen helped Yorkshire to a winning total Allan McKenzie/SWPIx.com

Yorkshire 280 for 9 (Winfield-Hill 90, Jonassen 67, Kalis 61) beat The Blaze 210 (Kelly 56, K Bryce 55, Jonassen 4-18, Cooper 3-31) by 70 runs

Australian overseas star Jess Jonassen hit 67 and claimed 4 for 18 as Yorkshire sealed a maiden Tier 1 victory over last season's three-time semi-finalists The Blaze in a helter-skelter Metro Bank One-Day Cup clash at Headingley.

Both sides endured batting collapses on a true surface, though The Blaze's proved terminal as - chasing 281 - they fell from 126 for 1 to 210 all out inside 42 overs, losing by 70 runs.

Jonassen, on home debut, supported home captain Lauren Winfield-Hill's 90. She hit 10 fours and a six in 57 balls amidst a second-wicket century stand as the White Rose posted 280 for 9 following away defeats to Somerset and Surrey.

Her seven overs of left-arm spin then put the skids under the visiting chase, including the key wickets of half-centurions Marie Kelly and Kathryn Bryce. The Blaze had beaten champions Lancashire in their opening game.

Yorkshire, inserted, built a platform thanks largely to Winfield-Hill, who gained valuable support from Ines Blackwell and Jonassen.

Blackwell, aged 16, was opening instead of on-loan Blaze batter Georgie Boyce. She shared 69 inside 19 overs with Winfield-Hill, contributing 17, before her captain added 122 for the second wicket with Jonassen.

Both drove nicely against a Blaze attack who took time to settle. Jonassen drilled Lucy Higham's offspin for a straight six en route to her maiden White Rose fifty, off 44 balls. Winfield-Hill's second in successive games had come off 57.

At 184 for 1 after 35 overs, Yorkshire were eyeing 300 plus. But they fell to 199 for 5 in the 41st having lost both set batters. Jonassen was lbw pulling at Georgia Elwiss's seam and Winfield-Hill bowled by a full delivery from left-arm pacer Grace Ballinger.

Left-arm spin bowling captain Kirstie Gordon - 2 for 40 from nine overs - struck to bowl Maddie Ward having earlier trapped Blackwell lbw.

Sterre Kalis then crucially mixed power and invention to re-energise the innings as she reached her fifty off 35 balls and posted 61 off 42 in all. She hit three sixes to give the Blaze something to think about.

The visitors had even more to think about three balls into their chase when England opener Tammy Beaumont, playing her first game of the season, was trapped lbw playing back at the left-arm swing of Rachel Slater. But Kelly and Kathryn Bryce settled as they posted half-centuries.

Kelly hoisted Blackwell's seam over long-on for six. Both reached fifties in successive overs - Kelly off 62 balls and Bryce off 39. But then came the drama as last season's three-time semi-finalists slipped from 126 for 1 in the 21st over to 132 for 5 in the 23rd.

Jonassen excelled in the game's key passage. She had Bryce caught at cover in the 21st over, followed by Kelly stumped. Elwiss was then run out at the striker's end following a direct hit from Claudie Cooper at mid-wicket, and Orla Prendergast fell caught behind to Jonassen in the 23rd.

The Blaze just couldn't recover, with Jonassen later getting a sweeping Sarah Bryce caught at midwicket and offspinner Cooper striking three times.

BLZ Women 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st0TT BeaumontM Kelly
2nd126M KellyKE Bryce
3rd1GA ElwissM Kelly
4th1GA ElwissO Prendergast
5th4SJ BryceO Prendergast
6th21SJ BryceEWS Jones
7th4KL GordonSJ Bryce
8th5KL GordonLF Higham
9th48KL GordonG Ballinger
10th0G BallingerCN Phillips