Glamorgan created history by becoming the first team in the new ECB Women's League 2 structure to book a place in the finals of both the Vitality Blast and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, as they beat Northants Steelbacks in the semi-final of the One-Day Cup at Sophia Gardens.
After being put to bat first by the Steelbacks, Glamorgan had a strong start thanks to captain Lauren Parfitt and Abbey Freeborn, who put together 66 runs for the opening wicket in quick time. The visitors then came back into the game with three quick wickets, but Bethan Ellis' patient innings along with Bea Ellis' counter-attacking strokes found Glamorgan in a strong position at the halfway mark of the innings.
However, Northants came back strong after the drinks break, as the hosts found themselves in a tricky situation with the score on 165-6. However, the set batter Bethan Ellis, along with young all-rounder Eve Jackson stitched together a lower-order partnership for the 7th wicket, before the impressive death bowlers of Northants blew Glamorgan's tail away, ending the Welsh county's innings on 209.
With the momentum against the visitors, captain Lauren Parfitt's team came back strong into the game with an impressive new-ball display by medium pacer Eve Jackson and off-spinner Gemma Porter. However, it was Nicole Reid who was the star of the show at Sophia Gardens in the semi-final. The leg-spinner replaced Gemma Porter from the River End, and immediately got a breakthrough, stumping Chloe Hill in only her second delivery, assisted by Georgia Parfitt behind the stumps.
Reid continued to spin a web on the visitors' middle-order, supported brilliantly by left-arm spinner Katy Cobb from the Cathedral Road End. Reid finished with a career-best figures of 5-35 in her 10 overs, sealing the win for Glamorgan and booking her team a place in the final at Worcester.
Here's what Head Coach Rachel Priest had to say about her team's fine display at the Home of Welsh Cricket: