Thunder hammer Diamonds to book Finals Day place

Fi Norris hit her second successive score of more than 40 in the Charlotte Edwards Cup against Northern Diamonds

Thunder beat Northern Diamonds by seven wickets to reach Finals Day in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, and all but end their opponents' hopes of qualifying.

Needing to reach their target within 16 overs to leapfrog Diamonds into second spot, Thunder raced to 97-3 off 15 to seal their semi-final place.

Fi Morris (42 not out) led the charge as Thunders made it four wins in five.

Diamonds came into the final group match four points clear of Thunder in the last qualification place in the table and just needing to avoid any carelessness to be certain of making the semi-final at New Road on Saturday.

But cracks soon appeared as three wickets were lost in seven balls for four runs - including captain, and second-leading run scorer in the competition, Hollie Armitage for a duck - leaving them 15-3 in the third over.

They lost wickets regularly against Thunder's disciplined attack and with seven down, three more quickly followed - again in seven balls for four runs - as Scotland off-spinner Olivia Bell finished with a career-best 3-9.

Inspired by their performance in the field, Thunder's batters attacked their 16-over target with gusto as they cracked 28 off their first three overs.

They never surrendered the momentum with Morris spearheading the run chase with a classy unbeaten knock off 34 balls to ensure Thunder picked up four points for the win and the crucial bonus point that lifted them above a dejected Diamonds, who slipped out of the top three following a third straight defeat.

Northern Diamonds could still qualify but they would need winless Sunrisers to beat defending champions Southern Vipers by a huge margin in the 19:00 BST game.

In the two other matches in the final round of games, Western Storm need a bonus-point win over group winners The Blaze in Cardiff to stand any chance of making the top three.

South East Stars take on Central Sparks in Canterbury with neither side able to qualify.

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