THANKS to half centuries by Heather Knight and Danni Gibson, Somerset Women made it two wins out of two in the Metro Bank One Day Cup competition when they beat their Lancashire counterparts by four wickets at Southport on Sunday.

Lancashire, put into bat, lost opener Alice Clarke when she was dismissed for six in the third over, caught behind off Alex Griffiths. Seren Smale fell victim to a brilliant piece of wicket keeping from Jess Hazell and was stumped off Charlie Dean for 18.

Eve Jones (38) was next to go, caught off Lola Harris and with Lancashire 90-3 a partnership was needed. Ellie Threlkeld and Fi Morris obliged, putting on 88 for the fourth wicket. Threlkeld eventually fell for 71, bowled by Harris but Morris brought up her own half-century before being caught by Gibson off Griffiths.

The hosts had a platform to accelerate and Ailsa Lister (20) and Kate Cross (20) supplied quick runs before Griffiths took the last two wickets to fall as she finished with 3-51.

Somerset set about the target in serene fashion and it took a brilliant catch to dismiss opener Bex Odgers for 17. Ecclestone entered the fray early to bowl against her former England captain Knight but it was Niamh Holland who became her first victim when she was bowled for 25.

When Somerset skipper Sophie Luff fell for 10, Lancashire looked to be edging the contest with the visitors 132-4. But that didn’t account for Knight, who together with Gibson, began to compile the partnership that sealed the match. The duo had put on 53 when Knight was out LBW for 63 but Gibson then took over and hit 60 which included two 6s and eight 4s

Charlie Dean (21 not out) and Hazell (21 not out) then saw Somerset home in the 48th over.