In an exciting Vitality Blast T20 match at the Cooper Associates Ground in Taunton, Lancashire Thunder defeated Somerset by four wickets thanks to a brave innings of 28 not out from 19 balls by Ailsa Lister.
Emma Lamb and Eve Jones pulled together an opening stand of 60, giving Thunder the impression that they were cruising as they chased 133 to win. Charlie Dean, however, claimed 4 for 9 to threaten a shocking change in fortunes as Somerset retaliated.
Lister, who needed eight runs from the last over, hit the winning runs with two balls remaining to save the northern county home after edging Alex Griffiths for four through fine leg.
Kate Cross took 3 for 21 and Sophie Morris took 2 for 33 as Lancashire's choice to bowl first paid off, limiting the home team to 132 for 7 from their 20 overs.
Somerset was in serious trouble at 85-for-6, but they owe it to the seventh-wicket combination of Griffiths and Amanda-Jade Wellington, who put on a thrilling 45-run partnership to at least salvage a match.
Even though this was Somerset's first time hosting a stand-alone women's match under the lights, they will not remember the event with much nostalgia after finishing second.
Due to the cancellation of the other game, Cider County has now dropped four of its five Blast games this season. Thunder is still in the running for a top-four finish after their third victory in six games.
The home team fell to 26 for 2 in the seventh after Somerset made an unlucky start due to the absence of injured England stars Heather Knight and Dani Gibson, Amelie Munday missing a straight one from Cross and leaving the bowling field without scoring, and Bex Odgers being stumped by Ellie Threlkeld off the bowling of Morris for 18.
To help herself to a brace of boundaries at Morris' expense and rouse an audience of about 3,000, a record for a women's match at Taunton, Fran Wilson proposed a shift in power dynamics.
But soon after, the applause gave way to moans, with Niamh Holland suffering the consequences of his hesitation and losing to the omnipresent Morris, who scored 45 for 3.
Assigned the responsibility of saving a disastrous situation, the seasoned duo of Wilson and Sophie Luff used their skillful placement and fast running to revitalize Somerset's struggling innings, with the fourth wicket pair scoring 24 off 20 balls.
Morris bowled Wilson for 25, but Somerset was still at 69 for 4 and needed to improve. Even worse came next, with Dean trying to ramp a Cross bouncer and offering a catch behind as Somerset stumbled to 85 for 6 in the 16th, and influential skipper Luff throwing a leading edge to extra cover off the bowling of Tara Norris.
In an attempt to break the stranglehold, the hard-hitting Wellington struck five boundaries and scored 25 from 14 balls, putting pressure on the Lancashire bowlers for the first time.
At the end, the seventh-wicket partnership produced 45 vital runs in 4.3 overs, and Griffiths, buoyed by her partner's success, opened her shoulders to raise 27 from 18 balls.
Lancashire, who won the Vitality County T20 Cup last month after defeating the Blaze and Surrey and defeating Somerset in a 50-over match played here earlier in the season, seem to thrive when they play at Taunton.
Their response was, in fact, given a comforting early boost, with Jones and Lamb setting the tone by raising 50 in 6.4 overs by exploiting some short and wide bowling.
When Dean pinned Jones lbw in the ninth over after he had scored 28, the partnership was worth 60. Somerset had a ray of hope when Lamb went for 32 in the following over, held at short fine leg off Ellie Anderson's bowling.
Thunder were 91 for 3 and needed another 42 to win off 39 balls when Wellington got Seren Smale to hole out to long-off for 11 in the fifteenth over.
The game was in the balance when Dean bowled Threlkeld for 1 with the score 96 for 4. In the 18th, however, Lister placed Thunder back in the box seat by lifting Griffiths for sixes over long-on and midwicket, calming any anxieties.
After bowling Fi Morris for 22 and holding Alana King at point without scoring, Dean was still not finished, leaving Thunder in need of eight runs from the last over. Then Lister showed steely nerves to resolve the matter.