Grace Scrivens fifty sets up Essex win in Headingley

Essex won a thrilling contest with Yorkshire at Headingley by just three runs with three balls remaining to claim a second victory of their Vitality Blast campaign. The defeat leaves Yorkshire still searching for a win after four games and they will rue another game that slipped through their fingers. Grace Scrivens, who struck five boundaries with some powerful hitting down the ground, was primarily to blame for Essex's successful start, which saw them advance to 48 without losing a single match. Yorkshire had no answer until the introduction of Holly Garton in the eighth over with the leg-spinner bowling Alice MacLeod around her legs for 22. When Jess Jonassen caught Cordelia Griffith in the front with the first ball, the visitors were 61 for 2. In the 12th over, Scrivens scored her half-century off 38 balls, and Essex reached 83 for 2 with eight overs remaining thanks to poor fielding. Lauren Winfield-Hill, on the other hand, made excellent wicketkeeping by grabbing a low outside edge off Scrivens' bat to bowl the opener out for 53 and give Ria Fackrell her first wicket. At 88 for 3, Essex had a solid base to go on the attack but they stalled when Joanne Gardner holed out to Ami Campbell at deep midwicket off Maddie Ward for one. Yorkshire's tails were up and a superb throw at the stumps from an onrushing Campbell accounted for Florence Miller for two as she attempted a risky second run. Sophia Smale gave Essex some momentum with two boundaries off Garton's 16th over, but the set loss to Jodi Grewcock for 26 after tamingly hitting a delivery from Ines Blackwell to Beth Langston at mid-on put the brakes on once more. Jonassen finished things off with the lbw wicket of Smale in the final over for an 18-ball 21 and Yorkshire were left the happier at the interval. The home side needed a good start and they got one with Winfield-Hill and Erin Thomas putting on a quick-fire 25 before Thomas skied a Smale delivery to MacLeod for 17. With their two best batters at the crease, Yorkshire hopes were high but Winfield-Hill's progress was halted when she was bowled by one that kept low from Scrivens for 18, leaving the host's fortunes resting on the shoulders of Jonassen and Sterre Kalis. The pair had taken the score to 66 when the Australian allrounder was bowled by Scrivens for 10 with 68 runs required off the second 10 overs. The fourth-wicket partnership felt crucial but only 22 runs were added before Kalis was caught at cover by Scrivens for 23 as Smale claimed a second wicket. Ward made 19 before she was caught trying to up the rate with 43 runs required. After Campbell scored a four and a six off Scrivens' final over, Yorkshire suddenly needed 26 runs in three overs and 14 runs in two. Campbell was run out for 21 in the first ball of Eva Gray's penultimate over, and Langston was run out two balls later, leaving Yorkshire with 134 for 7 before Gray got a boundary and caught Thomas behind, leaving her with 3 for 25. Nine was required off the last over with a run out off the second ball before Ria Fackrell hit a boundary only to be stumped next delivery as Essex claimed the victory.