Luff makes 48 as Western Storm beat Lightning

Western Storm opened their Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy campaign with a comfortable victory over East Midlands side Lightning in a rain-affected match at the Haslegrave Grove ground in Loughborough.

Chasing a revised target of 250 from 46 overs after Storm had finished on 255 for nine from 50, Lightning were 166 for nine from 34.2 overs when a second stoppage for heavy rain forced the match to be abandoned, losing by 75 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern index.

Sophie Luff made 48 and former England international Fran Wilson 43 off 37 balls after Lightning chose to bowl first. Australian seam bowler Piepa Cleary led the Lightning attack with three for 45 from her 10 overs.

There were useful contributions too from wicketkeeper Natasha Wraith, with a run-a-ball 35 and 17-year-old Sophia Smale, who hit an unbeaten 23, adding 25 with Claire Nicholas for the last wicket.

All-rounder Lucy Higham top-scored with 34 for Lightning, who never recovered from slipping to 23 for three inside seven overs, their troubles compounded when they incurred a five-run penalty for a disciplinary code breach.

The occasion made history by being the first professional match in England to feature a husband-and-wife team of on-field umpires in Naeem Ashraf, an all-rounder who played two one-day internationals for Pakistan in 1995 and Jasmine Naeem.

Southern Vipers defeated Central Sparks by seven wickets (D/L) in a heavily rain-affected Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy opener at Portland Road.

After frequent interruptions by the weather, Vipers chased down a revised D/L target of 70 in ten overs as they reached 75 for three with just two balls to spare.

On a relentlessly damp afternoon in Birmingham, calculators were to the fore as both innings were