Caitlin Clark And Indiana Fever Edge Angel Reese And Chicago Sky For First Home Win, 71-70
Birmingham Bears 149 (Yates 68, Stone 3-30) beat Nottinghamshire 127 (Mousley 3-22, Hasan 2-22) by 22 runs
Buoyant Birmingham Bears made it two wins from two in the Vitality Blast after beating Notts Outlaws by 22 runs in front of a 13,784 at Edgbaston.
Having trounced Durham in their opening game the previous evening, Bears chose to bat but were bowled out for 149 in 19.3 overs. Rob Yates struck a majestic 68 from 48 balls but nobody else passed 16 as Olly Stone took 3 for 30 and Luke Fletcher harvested an excellent 4-0-20-2.
Outlaws then charged to 54 without loss in 35 balls but collapsed to 127 all out against a vastly experienced Bears attack led by Dan Mousley, Hasan Ali, Danny Briggs and Jake Lintott.
Heavily beaten by Northants Steelbacks in their first game, Outlaws have more wounds to lick ahead of next Thursday's home game with Worcestershire Rapids.
It was Yates who delivered the match-winning contribution. He lifted his first ball for six and batted regally despite losing partners regularly.
Alex Davies and Chris Benjamin flailed briefly, each clearing the ropes with one hit then finding a fielder with another as Tom Moores and Calvin Harrison took smart catches. Sam Hain went to the crease with a Blast average of 97.28 against Outlaws but managed only 16 before chipping a return catch to Matt Montgomery. Mousley drove Lyndon James low to cover.
Jake Bethell skied Stone to mid-off. George Garton's first runs for the Bears were a reverse-lapped six but he added just another single before edging a huge drive at Stone.
Among all the frantic bit parts, Yates took centre stage with a measured 37-ball 50 which grew to 68 before he was slickly caught by a diving Jack Haynes at fine leg off Fletcher. The last three wickets - two run outs and an lbw from a failed reverse-sweep - summed up a bitty batting effort.
The Outlaws bowlers had earned their batters the luxury of easing through the powerplay without risk and Joe Clarke and Alex Hales exploited the situation to add 50 in the first five overs. Notts were in total command but the departure of Clarke for 28 off 18, who lifted Mousley to extra cover, reversed the flow of the match. Four wickets fell in 21 balls as Haynes drove a return catch to Briggs, Will Young missed a cut at the spinner and was bowled and Hales hoisted Lintott to long-off.
A flash of fielding brilliance followed when Bethell took an exceptional diving catch at the extra cover boundary to oust Moores. From 54 without loss and comfortable, Outlaws were 95 for 5 and, much to the delight of the man in the crowd dressed as a carrot, under serious pressure.
Montgomery offered some resistance with 33 off 31 but when he edged a reverse sweep at Hasan Ali, the collapsed turned terminal. The Outlaws tail needed to find 26 from the last two overs and didn't come close. The last word fittingly fell to Yates who took a superb catch at extra cover to bring the crowd, including the man dressed as a carrot, to its feet.
