Turner was the standout bowler with four for 33 from eight overs as Essex were bowled out for 177 inside 48 overs. Fellow seamer Grace Thompson also impressed with two wickets on her professional debut, while experienced leg-spinner Katie Levick struck three times.
Essex recovered from 65 for five in the 20th over, with Jodie Grewcock contributing 31 and Sophia Smale 40. They shared a sixth-wicket 53, but it wasn’t enough in front of a 600-strong crowd at the start of the professional era of women’s cricket in the North-East.
Opener Bates is Durham’s first-ever professional women’s overseas signing, and she led a composed chase with 14 fours in 103 balls. She shared a superb unbroken 173 with second-wicket partner and captain Hollie Armitage, 64 off 87 balls. A five-point victory was sealed in the 33rd over.
Turner was the leading wicket-taker in last season’s 50-over regional competition, striking 23 times for Northern Diamonds.
And she and Thompson – a tall 17-year-old rookie – set the tone with three and two wickets respectively as Essex slipped into early trouble.
Thompson struck with the new ball when she trapped Jo Gardner lbw before Turner angled one across visiting captain Grace Scrivens and had the left-hander caught behind for 19 – 46 for two in the 12th over.
Turner then had Cordelia Griffith caught behind by England squad wicketkeeper Bess Heath, who claimed two catches and two stumpings. The same bowler had Lissy Macleod caught and bowled off a skied top-edge.
Sandwiched in between, Abi Glen took a superb catch diving to her left at first slip to help Thompson remove Flo Miller as Essex slipped to five down.
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The half-century stand between Grewcock and Smale, under the Riverside floodlights, was accumulative. Levick removed both Grewcock and Smale stumped, leaving the Eagles 145 for seven in the 42nd over.
Levick then ousted Amara Carr for 21 and, courtesy of a catch at short third, helped Turner get Eva Gray as the tail was mopped up with 2.3 overs remaining.
Levick and Thompson finished with three for 28 and 2 for 34 from their respective ten-over spells.
Run-scoring on this pitch wasn’t completely trouble-free, and Kate Coppack’s seam trapped Emma Marlow lbw in the second over of Durham’s chase – five for one.
But in 37-year-old Bates, a veteran of 348 all-format international appearances, and Armitage, Durham had the perfect combination to steer their ship.
They calmed any early nerves early in their near 31-over alliance before becoming more expansive to extinguish Essex’s hopes.
Durham reached 100 for one after 22 overs, by which stage a home victory was almost certain.
Bates was strong on both sides of the wicket and reached her debut fifty off 68 balls moments later. Armitage then followed her to the same milestone off 75 to cap off the bonus-point success.
