Rubies sparkle to win Twenty20

Isa Guha took two wickets in the final as Rubies triumphed © Getty Images

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Rubies sparkled brightest on a grey Bank Holiday Monday as they won the Super 4s Twenty20 competition at Loughborough.

Led by Gill Richards, Rubies narrowly beat Emeralds and Diamonds as this season's Super 4s got underway.

Rubies began the four-team tournament with a narrow six-run win over Emeralds, who were captained by England's Nicky Shaw.

After losing the toss and being inserted, Rubies reached 22 without loss before Australian star Alex Blackwell was bowled by the outstanding Nicky Myers who wrecked the top-order.

She claimed 4-11 and Jenny Gunn 3-7 as Rubies stuttered to 83 for nine from their allotted overs with only Natalie Lane, Anya Shrubsole and Rebecca Williams making double figures.

Emeralds made the worst possible start to their chase when Sarah Taylor, Salliann Briggs and Gunn were all back in the pavilion with only eight runs on the board.

It was a set-back from which they could not recover as Shrubsole (1-6), Isa Guha (1-14), Holly Colvin (2-11) and Caroline Atkins (2-14) contributed miserly four-over spells.

Laura Joyce provided some lone resistance, she was last out for 20, the highest score of the game, as Emeralds fell six runs short.

In the second game, Charlotte Edwards scored an unbeaten 57 to guide Diamonds to a thrilling penultimate ball victory over Sapphires and book a place in the final against Rubies.

Chasing 124 for victory, Edwards cracked three fours in her 55-ball innings as her side edged to victory with just a ball to spare. Ebony Rainford-Brent, Lydia Greenway and Tamsin Beaumont also contributed with the bat.

Earlier in the game Rosalie Birch and Georgia Elwiss starred with the ball to help bowl Sapphires out for 123. Birch took 2-19 from her four overs and Elwiss 2-7 at the death.

Charlotte Edwards shone with bat and ball for Diamonds © Getty Images

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The key wicket of Aussie Leah Poulton came much earlier however. Threatening to amass a huge score having reached 32 from just 16 balls, she was bowled by Edwards as Sapphires' hopes of victory took a huge dent.

The final proved to be another tight affair as Rubies managed to defend their meagre total of 110 for seven thanks to some excellent bowling.

Having been asked to bat, Rubies were stunned when Blackwell was run-out without facing a delivery. They recovered though as the rest of the top-order all got starts, led by Kate Oakenfold's 35 from 31 balls, but their total still looked a little short.

Edwards finished with 2-28 from her four overs while Birch, Izzy Westbury and Elwiss showed exemplary control.

Diamonds' reply began disastrously when Guha (2-15) had Edwards smartly stumped by Sophie Le Marchand for just six runs.

Rainford-Brent scored a quickfire 24 at the top of the order but nobody could stay with Greenway who fired 42 off just 33 balls.

Colvin and Amanda Potgieter chipped in with two wickets as Rubies held their nerve to win by just four runs.

In the third-fourth play-off match, Jenny Halstead scored 56 not out as Sapphires beat Emeralds.

Click here (426 KB) to see the scorecards from all four games.