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Hollie Armitage struck nine fours and a six in her century for Northern Diamonds

In a rain-shortened match, Hollie Armitage's splendid 101 not out off 76 balls propelled the Diamonds to a six-wicket triumph over Western Storm.

Meanwhile, in Blackpool, the Stars secured a dominant 82-run victory against Lancashire Thunder.

Sunrisers' ambitions of surpassing Southern Vipers at the top of the table were dashed by persistent rain at Radlett, leading to the abandonment of their game with Central Sparks. In the brief 6.3 overs played, Sparks managed to score 27 without loss.

As a result, Northern Diamonds climbed above Sunrisers into second place, while the fourth-placed Stars are now 10 points ahead of The Blaze in fifth.

All eight teams have six matches left in the group stage, with the top four advancing to the semi-finals in September.

At Cheltenham, the hosts Western Storm posted a competitive 200-5 off 30 overs in a rain-reduced innings. Fran Wilson top-scored with an unbeaten 61 off 63 balls, while Amanda-Jade Wellington added a quickfire 27 off 14 balls towards the end.

Further rain interruptions meant the Diamonds faced a revised target of 199 off 29 overs. Sterre Kallis (34) and Bess Heath fell in quick succession, leaving them at 132-4, needing 67 more runs from nine overs.

However, captain Armitage's magnificent century and Erin Burns' rapid 21 off 13 balls saw the Diamonds reach 199-4 with 2.2 overs to spare.

In the other completed game, South East Stars were bowled out for 283 in the final over, with captain Bryony Smith (67) and Paige Scholfield (56) making half-centuries. Thunder struggled to maintain the required run-rate of nearly six per over, eventually being bowled out for 201, with Ryana MacDonald-Gay taking 4-34.