One Day Cup Final - The Blaze go out in last ball thriller

We can finally say goodbye to The Blaze - a nom du guerre no-one ever really got on board with, even in the regional cricket days of yesteryear (OK two seasons ago) - I think it was the use of the definite article that really grated. Blaze was not their moniker it was THE team name. From next season they will revert to Nottinghamshire or more frequently Notts. Thanks be to whatever deity floats your boat. 

We are led to believe that The Blaze name was retained as the players wanted it. Presumably they don't anymore. Whatever the reason it has served them well over the past two seasons galvanising a team without the misnomered "superstars" into a team that somehow knows how to get over the line. A team with chutzpah. 

Nothing epitomised that more than their One Day Cup campaign this year. Innumerable times at the beginning of the season their batting was bailed out by skipper Kirstie Gordon, coming in at 7 or 8 and hitting a measured 40 odd to get her team over the line, after her top order batting had gone Missing in Action. In the middle of the year it was the seasoned pro, Georgia Elwiss, that kept The Blaze at the top of the table, eschewing risk to claim the ultimate reward. And by the end of the season The Blaze's belief in their own individual and collective abilities had taken them deservedly to the top of the One Day Cup League table. They were champions......only they weren't. Now they had to play Hampshire in The Final. 

Could the co-operative from the Midlands overcome the South Coast Sun Loungers at their own ground? The hundred or so Blaze supporters hoped so. The 2,000 Hampshirites hoped for a repeat of the previous week's demolition of the northern invaders, which had briefly taken Hampshire to the top of the table.

As is often the case with finals it was an attritional game until the last hour, when it looked like one team was going to win and then it looked like they weren't......and then....

Hampshire had posted a below par 251/9 based around a mature innings of 78 from 23 year Ella McCaughan, who was the unfortunate recipient of what can only be described as a shocking lbw decision. True the ball hit her on the front pad in front of the leg stump, but it had been delivered left-arm round the wicket from wide on the return crease and physics says it would have missed the leg stump by at least six inches (15 centimetres if I have any readers below the age of 30). There are no reviews. That, and the dismissal of the ebullient Freya Kemp who pummelled another fine 52 before she missed a floaty off-spinner from Lucy Higham (4/49), took the wind out of the Hampshire sails, and they could only manage another 54 runs off the last 11 overs. 

The Blaze knew they had time on their hands and proceeded serenely towards a hundred before Sarah Bryce became another victim of the sorcerer that is Amanda Jade Wellington. In times gone by she would either have been all-powerful or dunked in the river as a suspected witch. When Bryce sister Kathryn was also spellbound by Wello with the aid of a fine juggling slip catch from Georgia Adams, Hampshire at least felt the door was ajar. But slowly, ever so slowly, that door was pushed towards the catch that keeps it shut. Tammy Beaumont (74 off 122) almost bored herself to death, having initially got her 50 off a respectable 75 balls. Her partner was the aforementioned Georgia Elwiss, whose 64 off 74 belies the fact that she at one stage had 42 off 59 balls. True Beaumont also interspersed her vigil by giving Hampshire the chance to catch her out. They spurned three of them, before the Sorcerer dipped a ball onto her toe in front of middle stump. Blaze still had no need to panic. They only needed another 59 runs and they had more than 10 overs to get them.
But when Elwiss lofted the Sorcerer's apprentice, Bex Tyson, to mid-off, the Hampshirites began to believe.
The Sorcerer was done by the 40th over - Tyson and Adams by the 47th. Blaze still needed 29 and they were 6 down. The swashbuckling Emma Jones seemed to be The Blaze's final hope. With a little help from Lucy Higham she took 12 off the 48th and then single-handedly took another 11 off the last five balls on Naomi Dattani's next over. The Blaze only needed 5 more to win. 
Daisy Gibb, who had not bowled since the seventh over was thrown the ball by skipper Adams. She did not let her down. The Blaze could manage only 3 off the first five balls. Two were needed off the last with the sabre wielding Jones on strike. Her propensity to heave the ball to the legside dictated the field. With non-striker Grace Ballinger almost standing beside her as she stepped across, she swung her blade to leg. The ball careered away to the backward square leg boundary for the winning runs. 

It was an outcome that seemed inevitable as The Blaze went down in a blaze of glory!

Martin Davies
20/IX/2026

One Day Cup Semi-Final - Top two will fight out the Final

Surrey, having overcome a spirited Somerset team in their effective quarter-final on Saturday, travelled to The Utilita Bowl in Southampton to face Hampshire for a place in Saturday's Final. 

Having won the toss Surrey elected to field, despite a used pitch and a later start. Three hours later they trudged off the field knowing they needed more than 300 to prolong their season. Hampshire's two England players who were not managing their workloads, were the major contributors to their 303/5. Maia Bouchier (117*) hit her fourth century of the competition, in just eleven innings, and Freya Kemp a typically forceful 77 off 63 balls, as Hampshire racked up what looked to be a competitive total. Non-England player (for the time being) Abi Norgrove (60) also hit her seventh 50 of what has been a massively successful season for the 20 year old in the middle order. 
Surrey's bowling attack, with the exception of Sune Luus, looked somewhat toothless, and stand-in skipper Alice Davidson-Richards did her best to try and juggle her resources. Surrey were not helped by keeper and skipper Kira Chatli leaving the field at the end of the first over with what looked like a recurrence of an elbow or shoulder injury. She did not return and batted at 11 when Surrey made their reply.

Surrey made a bright start in their chase led by Rachel King (31) and Sophia Dunkley (17), but they needed at least one of the top order to get in and go big. Dunkley rather threw her wicket away mistiming an expansive deep-seated drive at Daisy Gibb; Sune Luus attempted to launch Georgia Adams over cow corner just nine balls into her innings; and Jemima Spence advanced down the track to Bex Tyson and missed a swish to leg to be bowled off stump. When Rachel King was needlessly run out and Davidson-Richards became the first of Amanda Jade Wellington's five victims, the Hampshire faithful were already buying tickets for the final back at the same ground this weekend. Surrey were 70/5.
It was a hole they never looked like digging themselves out of, in fact they continued to dig deeper. Franklin, MacDonald-Gay, Monaghan and Gregory went within 16 balls of each other. They did manage to scrape past 100, but it was fitting that Wellington (5/19) picked up the last wicket and her five-fer to send Hampshire back to the Final they lost last year. 
The final margin of victory was a mere 194 runs.

Martin Davies
17/IX/2026

Round 18 of the One Day Cup - So near and yet so far....

So to the final round of the One Day Cup league fixtures with two matters to be decided. 
The first is who will finish top and go straight through to the final, and the second is who will finish third and make the semi-final (I refuse to call it the Eliminator) on Wednesday.
The Blaze settled the first issue on Friday (not sure why they were allowed to play their final game before all the others?) with a demolition of lowly Essex. The Blaze finish top and Essex finish bottom. The game reflected their standings in the table.
As for third place that was a straight shootout between Surrey and Somerset at The Oval. Surrey took Sophia Dunkley and Ryanna MacDonald-Gay back into the fold. Somerset continued their fight without the assistance of Charlie Dean, Dani Gibson or Heather Knight. It was a cracking game with Somerset setting Surrey an imposing 296 to win thanks to centuries from captain Sophie Luff and Niamh Holland. Surrey were always up with the run rate, but managed to keep losing wickets just when they looked to have the game won. In the end a couple of leg byes in the last over saw them limp home nine down. They will play Hampshire on Wednesday.
Elsewhere Yorkshire contrived to get bowled out for far fewer than they needed, which allowed Lancashire bragging rights for another year; and Warwickshire scored 224 more runs then they did on Wednesday, but still lost to Durham. 

Surrey v Somerset
Somerset 295/7 lost to Surrey 296/9 by 1 wicket
A fitting "quarter-final" played out on the billiard table that is The Oval - great if you are a batter, not so much fun if you are a bowler. Invited to bat Somerset looked to be wasting the facilities until the Duracell bunny that is Sophie Luff (103) and her solar-powered protégé Niamh Holland (130*) got together. They were still there 196 runs later and had taken Somerset to 241. Luff succumbed to battery fatigue having made her century, but Holland went on past her own hundred and took Somerset to 295/7. It was a challenging total, but it could have been 30 or so more.
All of Surrey's top seven got into double figures and at 141/3 at the halfway point in their reply they looked comfortable, but two wickets in an over from the open-chested inswing of Alex Griffiths got Somerset back in the game. But then Kira Chatli (51) and Phoebe Franklin (46) added 95 for the sixth wicket to swing the pendulum the Londoners way and take Surrey within 60 runs of victory. But two more wickets in an over, this time from Chloe Skelton, edged the game back to Somerset and when Franklin perished at 257/8 Somerset supporters were googling trains to Southampton on Wednesday. But numbers 9 and 10, Kalea Moore (23) and Kate Coppack (16*) looked to be calmly steering Surrey to victory, until Moore pulled up with a hamstring issue with just 7 more needed for victory off 8 balls. After much delay Franklin reappeared to act as her runner. But in fact all she did was walk back off with the limping Moore who was lbw the very next ball. The last pair were at the crease. 
A misfield at mid-off gave them 4 of the 6 they needed to win and two chaotic leg byes later Surrey were through by the skin of their teeth. 

The Blaze v Essex
Essex 159 ao lost to The Blaze 162/1 by 9 wickets
Had it not been for a rear-guard 70 from Grace Scrivens Essex would have been bowled out for under 100. One can't help feeling that Scrivens is a modern-day Captain Mainwaring endeavouring to fight a war with a battalion of enthusiastic but inept individuals. 
As it was Essex managed to put 159 on the board, which The Blaze made very short work of knocking off - just 115 balls was all it took. Sarah Bryce (70) and sister Kathryn (67) ensured Essex were back in Corporal Jones' van and heading south by early afternoon. 

Yorkshire v Lancashire
Yorkshire 210 ao lost to Lancashire 211/3 by 7 wickets
Yorkshire threw away another promising batting position - 179/4 with 14 overs to come and heading to 270 plus - as they lost 6 wickets for 31 runs to post just 210. It is a sadly familiar tale for the Northerners. Only Lauren Winfield-Hill (90) offered much resistance to the Lancashire bowling attack.
Lancashire's response was unspectacular, but then it did not need to be. They took 41 overs to get over the line, but only lost three wickets en route. Eve Jones helped herself to another 77 runs to end up second on the Most Runs list (679), pipping Hollie Armitage and Maia Bouchier, who both also scored over 600. As for who came top.................

Durham v Warwickshire 
Warwickshire 279/8 lost to Durham 280/6
..............it was.................. Katie George, who hit another 101* runs to take her to 698 for the season, and Warwickshire to 279/8. She seems to have thrived having taken over the captain's armband and it is difficult to see them taking it from her next season. Nat Wraith (48) and Charis Paveley (46) added some good support. 
But Durham skipper Hollie Armitage (107) matched her Warwickshire counterpart with her own century and, with good middle-order support from Villiers, Thompson and Bess Heath (63), Durham ended their up and down season on a winning note. 

Martin Davies
13/IX/2026

Round 17 of the One Day Cup - And then there were 2!

At the start of the day there were four teams vying for the third place slot and a place in the One Day Cup semi-final next Wednesday. They were Warwickshire, Lancashire, Surrey and Somerset. By the end of the day there were just two teams left with a shout - Surrey and Somerset - and they play each other in a delicious encounter at the Oval on Saturday. 
Warwickshire's chances suffered a catastrophic defenestration when they were bowled out by Surrey for just 55, the lowest team score of the season by 64 runs (Essex 119). It was indicative of Warwickshire's season to be honest, both on and off the pitch.
For a while it looked like defending champions Lancashire, who have been on a five game winning streak, would end Somerset's plucky charge at a top three slot having put 240 on the board and reducing Somerset to 87/3. But thanks to a typically gutsy team batting performance, lead by some of the lesser names - Hazell, Corney and Jones, Somerset scored the required 241 runs with wickets and overs to spare. 
All of which means that whoever wins the Surrey v Somerset game on Saturday will go through to the semi-final. 
At the top Hampshire completed an impressive bonus point run chase to dampen The Blaze's fire and go equal with them on points at the top of the table. Hampshire have now completed their fixtures and The Blaze play Essex tomorrow, with the obvious chance of taking top spot back.
At the bottom Essex managed to overcome Yorkshire for their fourth win of the season, but they still prop up the table on NRR. Can they stun The Blaze tomorrow?

Here's what happened in Round 17.....

Hampshire v The Blaze
The Blaze 249/7 lost to Hampshire 250/3 by 7 wickets
After a cautious start The Blaze looked to be well-placed to put a big total on the board on a good deck at the Utilita Bowl. They had reached 114/2 without too many alarms with ex-England players Tammy Beaumont (56) and Georgia Elwiss (12) looking calm and in control, but slow left-armer Bex Tyson (3/40) did for them both, which seemed to knock the stuffing out of The Blaze's batting. They could only add 59 runs off the last 10 overs (and 15 of those came off the last) to chalk up 249/7. 
Hampshire's top three - Ellie McCaughan (40), Maia Bouchier (118) and Abi Norgrove (52) put The Blaze's total into perspective adding 98 for the first wicket and 116 for the second. In the 35th over Hampshire realised a bonus point win was in sight - they needed 61 off 5 overs. 17 off that Kathryn Bryce over left the equation at 44 off 4 overs, which they achieved despite losing both set batters. Freya Kemp smashed 20 off 8 balls to seal the deal.

Somerset v Lancashire
Lancashire 240/9 lost to Somerset 241/5 by 5 wickets
Invited to bat Somerset looked to have their visitors in trouble at 74/4 after skipper Ellie Threlkeld was run out in disastrous fashion, but Seren Smale (82) and the soon-to-be retired Fi Morris (56) took Lancashire to 200 with 9 overs to go, but Ellie Anderson (3/41) took three quick wickets, after Skelton had removed Morris, and Lancashire could only add 40 in those last 9 overs.
But when Somerset found themselves at 87/3 with Odgers, Luff and Holland all gone it looked like Lancashire's winning streak would continue. Emma Corney (54) and Jess Hazell (77*) had other ideas. They shored up the innings, but when Corney was out in the 35th over Somerset still needed 100 runs to win at more than a run a ball. Keeper Katie Jones (47) joined Hazell and when they took 20 off the 45th over bowled by Kate Cross only 18 were needed off the last four overs. Jones missed out on a well-deserved 50, but Somerset got home with 13 balls to spare.

Warwickshire v Surrey
Warwickshire 55 ao lost to Surrey 59/0 by 10 wickets
Invited to bat Warwickshire seemed to forget exactly what they were supposed to do. True Essex import Kate Coppack (5/22) got a bit of away swing, but Warwickshire were simply too loose in their shot selection as they stumbled to 28/6 in the powerplay and were all out in less than 19 overs. Four batters made ducks, and nine failed to make it to double figures as Warwickshire's semi-final hopes evaporated with the previous day's rain.
Just to add salt to the wound Surrey knocked them off in 10.2 overs without losing a wicket. By 1pm the game was over. 

Essex v Yorkshire
Essex 241 ao beat Yorkshire 233 ao by 8 runs
Essex managed to post a creditable 241 all out thanks in the main to 87 from skipper Grace Scrivens. It probably should have been more, but once Scrivens was sixth out the innings fell away with part-time off spinner Amy Campbell claiming 3/33.
In reply a middle-order partnership of 63 between Sterre Kalis (52) and Campbell (64) looked to be taking Yorkshire to a comfortable victory, but when Campbell was neatly stumped by Claridge it was not only Campbell herself who was left lying prostate on the floor. The lower order collapse wasn't as dramatic as in the two previous games, but when Claridge's sharp hands removed the obdurate Rebecca Duckworth (20) Yorkshire subsided to their eleventh loss in fifteen games.

Martin Davies
10/IX/2026

Round 16 of the One Day Cup - As Warwickshire Watch On....

Warwickshire, sat in third place in the table, could only sit and watch as those below them in the table tried to sneak past them or close the gap. As it was Somerset, just a point behind, could not put one over on the Mighty Blaze, but Surrey and Lancashire squeezed up the fight for third with victories over Essex and Durham respectively. Surrey won by 118 runs; Lancashire by three! But a win is a win!

It means all four teams vying for that third spot are now within just one point of each other. The games they have left to play are :-

Warwickshire - Surrey (Wed) and Durham (Sat)
Lancashire - Somerset (Wed) and Yorkshire (Sat)
Surrey - Warwickshire (Wed) and Somerset (Sat)
Somerset - Lancashire (Wed) and Surrey (Sat)

Meanwhile Hampshire got the better of Yorkshire, who currently bat all the way down to five. This round they lost their last 6 wickets for 25 runs, and 12 of those came from the last pair at the crease. It means Hampshire are guaranteed a home semi-final at worst, and are five points behind The Blaze, who have a game in hand. The pair meet at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton on Wednesday, before The Blaze finish off their fixtures against lowly, down-trodden Essex. Their path to the final looks assured, but can Hampshire dent their confidence on Wednesday. I'll be there to find out....

Here's what happened in Round 16....

Essex v Surrey
Surrey 344/7 beat Essex 226 ao by 118 runs
With a short boundary on one side seven of Surrey's top eight got into double figures as they clocked up 344/7 against a rather dejected Essex side. Abtaha Maqsood was the pick of the seven Essex bowlers with 2/41 off her 10 overs. For Surrey Priyanaz Chatterji top scored with 77 and Sune Luus hit 67. 
The Essex response never looked very threatening as they battled their way to 226 in 46 overs, 118 runs short of Surrey's score. They too had seven of their top eight in double figures, but no-one went beyond Lissie MacLeod's 40. 
Surrey will be looking forward to welcoming their England players back into the fold for their last two games. 

Hampshire v Yorkshire
Yorkshire 166 ao lost to Hampshire 170/3 by 7 wickets
For a while Yorkshire looked like they might set Hampshire a competitive total to chase. That was until they lost their fourth wicket at 135. It was that of Jess Jonassen (64). Yorkshire only managed to add another 31 runs to their total over the next 14 painful overs with Amanda Jade Wellington (5/25) putting them in a spin. 
With all the time in the world Hampshire strolled to victory within the bonus point 40 overs losing just three wickets including in-form Georgia Adams (61). The promising Francesca Sweet (55*) was not out as Hampshire got over the line.

Lancashire v Durham
Lancashire 169/8 (38) beat Durham 166/9 (38) by 3 runs
In a game reduced to 38 overs due to pre-game rain Lancashire, without Emma Lamb and losing Eve Jones first ball, meandered their way to 169/8.
Durham lost early wickets, but at 140/3 with 6 overs to go, and Hollie Armitage (54) and Bess Heath (43) going nicely, Lancashire's defence of their title seemed to be disappearing over the Pennines. But Kate Cross (3/24) in her last home game for Lancashire, winkled Heath out, and then the wheels fell off the Durham bus. Armitage remained calm, but could not find the boundary, and kept waving goodbye to partners at the other end of the pitch. From less than a run-a-ball Durham contrived to need 17 off the last two overs and then nine off the last. When Armitage scooped Cross' first ball to short third man the game was done. Lancashire are not done yet!

The Blaze v Somerset
Somerset 192 lost to The Blaze 196/4 by 9 wickets
The question was could Somerset prove to be a speed bump in the path of The Blaze juggernaut and, in the process, jump into third above non-playing Warwickshire? 
The answer was No, as despite another 50 from skipper Sophie Luff, Somerset could not take full advantage of a ludicrously small boundary in one corner of the ground. 192 never looked like being enough as Lucy Higham cleaned up the Somerset tail for figures of 4/28. 
Somerset hopes were raised as The Blaze slipped to 9/2 and then 53/3, but this time it was the turn of Sarah Bryce (57*) and Emma Jones  (53*)(once of Surrey) to bail The Blaze out. They combined to add an unbeaten 91 for the fifth wicket and get The Blaze over the line in the 39th over. 

Martin Davies
07/IX/2026

Round 15 of the One Day Cup - Including the greatest come back of all time

As England thrashed Ireland in the Second ODI, the counties were hard at work battering each other to try and reach the top three of the One Day Cup table.

The Blaze are already sure to be there, as are Hampshire now after trampling all over Durham at Chester-le-Street. That leaves just one spot up for grabs and Warwickshire helped their cause with 5 points against hapless Essex. Could Somerset at Headingley and Lancashire, playing mid-table rivals Surrey, do the same? It looked unlikely until Yorkshire lost their last five wickets for four runs, when they only needed 10 to win, and Surrey shot themselves in the foot by losing an unnecessary wicket one ball before they came off for game-ending rain, which put them behind the DLS score they needed. See the full reports below. 

All of which means that the table now looks like this.

The games to come for those looking for a top three finish...

Warwickshire - Surrey, Durham
Somerset - The Blaze, Lancashire, Surrey
Lancashire - Durham, Somerset, Yorkshire
Surrey - Essex, Warwickshire, Somerset
Durham - Lancashire, Warwickshire

Warwickshire are best placed in third, but even winning their last two games does not guarantee they will make the Finals as all three teams below them have a game in hand over them. 
Somerset look to have the toughest run-in, but if they can defeat rivals Lancashire and/or Surrey they could still be in with a shout.
Durham are 8 points behind Warwickshire with only two games to play, so qualification looks extremely unlikely for them, but their games against Lancashire and Warwickshire could be key to who does take the third spot.
The next round of games is on Sunday with Warwickshire taking their turn to sit out. They will be watching on anxiously.

Here is what happened in Round 15....

Durham v Hampshire
Durham 200/9 lost to Hampshire 201/1 by 9 wickets
Durham's innings never really recovered from three quick post-drinks wickets which reduced them to 89/4. In fact they did well to get to 200 thanks in the main to an unbeaten fifty off 36 balls from Aussie Eleanor Larosa. In fact she and Katie Levick (12) added 42 for the last wicket to give Hampshire something to think about.
But they did not have to think too hard as in-form Georgia Adams (106*) and Ella McCaughan (31) cleared nearly half the runs required and then Abi Norgrove (59*) helped her skipper secure the five points that took them into the play-offs.
Durham's play-off chances are all but gone.

Lancashire v Surrey
Lancashire 234/9 beat Surrey 167/6 by 10 runs (DLS method)
In the key game of the day as teams squabble for top three status Lancashire posted a reasonable 234/9 thanks to a patient 85 from youngster Tilly Kesteven (85). After a sticky start she took her team to 227 in the 49th over before she fell to a mistimed ramp shot. 
In reply Surrey eschewed their usual batting madness but lost wickets nonetheless. Despite this they were grinding towards victory, after a brief rain delay shortened their innings to 43 overs. At 167/5 they were comfortably ahead of the DLS target as rain once again started to fall. It was at this point that Jemima Spence played an injudicious reverse sweep, which she missed and was lbw. Suddenly Surrey were behind the DLS score. One ball later the teams came off the field, never to return, gifting the victory to a grateful Lancashire.

Warwickshire v Essex
Essex 202 lost to Warwickshire 208/3 by 7 wickets
Warwickshire completed a no-nonsense bonus point win over struggling Essex after bowling them out for just 202 courtesy of seven wickets from spinners Phoebe Brett (4/42) and Hannah Baker (3/26). At 86/3 in reply there may have been a few jitters, but stand-in skipper Katie George (72*) and departing Abbey Freeborn (64*) made full use of the good batting track and Warwickshire romped home in the 37th over. 
It was a win that kept Warwickshire in third spot in the table, but with only two games to play they look slightly vulnerable as all three teams just below them have a game in hand, and they only play one of them (Surrey)

Yorkshire v Somerset

Somerset 130 ao beat Yorkshire 125 ao by 5 runs
In an extraordinary (and I use the word advisedly) game at Headingley Somerset were 9/4 and then 21/5 within the powerplay. Their West Country goose looked cooked, but Jess Hazell (31) and Jasmine Westley (28) briefly removed it from the oven as they added 66 for the sixth wicket. Three quick wickets suggested 100 might be out of reach, but late resistance from Chloe Skelton (20*) and Ellie Anderson (21) took Somerset to the dizzying heights of 130. 
Yorkshire initially tried to make a game of it by slipping to 74/4, but Sterre Kalis (23), Erin Thomas (29) and Amy Campbell (35) restored a semblance of calm. When Campbell departed to a senseless run out from the first ball of the 26th over from Skelton Yorkshire needed just 10 to win. Skelton proceeded to bowl the incoming Langston first ball, and then four balls later repeated the feat against Jess Woolston. In the next over Lola Harris bowled Sarah Glenn during a wicket maiden. Hannah Rainey struck her second ball for 4 to reduce the winning margin to 6. Two balls later though Skelton had bowled her too with a peachy off-spinner through the gate.
An unbelievable victory for Somerset.

Martin Davies
04/IX/2026

Round 14 of the One Day Cup - Run-In Jitters

With some of the England players back in the ranks for a one-off appearance before the Ireland series (you can guess the usual no-shows*) the battle of the mid-table teams all got a bit jittery, with just a few games to go before the season finale. 

The Blaze's comfortable victory over Warwickshire kept them firmly atop of the ODC table and ensured they will be in the final three come September. Despite their defeat Warwickshire remain in equal third place.

Somerset and Surrey kept themselves in the third place melee with wins over mid-table Durham and struggling Yorkshire respectively. 

Defending champions Lancashire kept their hopes of making the Finals alive with their second victory of the season over second-placed Hampshire, but Hampshire still stay in second 14 points ahead of Warwickshire. With a game in hand this chucks Lancashire firmly into the qualification battle.
There are just 4 points separating Warwickshire in third and Lancashire in seventh. Somerset, Surrey and Lancashire all have a game in hand on the others. 

The next round of games is on 3rd September with Lancashire v Surrey looking to be the key game of the round.

Here is what happened in Round 14...

Hampshire v Lancashire
Hampshire 223 all out lost to Lancashire 224/6 by 4 wickets
The retiring Kate Cross put Hampshire on the backfoot with three early wickets and from 29/3 Hampshire did well to post 223. Hampshire simply could not string any partnerships together despite a typically belligerent 61 from Freya Kemp and a controlled 70 not out from Abi Norgrove. At one stage under 200 looked very likely, but Norgrove shepherded the tail to a potentially defendable score.
Lancashire made their typically languid start through Jones and Lamb, and Kesteven did little to up the run rate. But with less than five an over required Lancashire were always in control. Emma Lamb (68*) was the rock and Seren Smale (42*) the finisher as Lancs got over the line with 10 balls to spare.

Somerset v Durham
Durham 248/9 lost to Somerset 251/7 by wickets
Durham had opener Emma Marlow (71*) and their lower middle order to thank for making it to a par score on the good Taunton track. At 95/5 they were in strife, but Marlow, Grace Thompson (41) and Aussie Eleanor Larosa (44) bailed them out. Somerset's Ellie Anderson (5/40) mopped up the tail to claim her (and Somerset's) first ever five-for.
The early departure of in-form batters Sophie Luff and Bex Odgers made Durham early favourites to claim an important win, with both these teams in the mid-table kerfuffle, but Niamh Holland (70) and Charlie Dean (76) added 104 for the fifth wicket to break the back of the chase and Dean took her new county to within 12 of victory before she was bowled. It was too late for Durham.

Warwickshire v The Blaze
The Blaze 282/7 beat Warwickshire 212 all out by 70 runs
Despite five wickets for Issy Wong (5/58) The Blaze amassed 282/7 with their batters looking comfortable at the crease. Ireland's Orla Prendergast (69) top-scored and there was another 50 for Georgia Elwiss (57), as the Warwickshire bowlers proved to be less than threatening.
The early wickets of Austin and Perrin did nothing to suggest that Warwickshire were going to chase down the formidable total, but Katie George (89) and Kiwi Brooke Halliday (52) raised the Midlanders' hopes with a stand of 125, but with 20 overs to go Warwickshire still needed another 134 runs. As they tried to maintain the required run rate they lost regular wickets until eventually they just ran out of batters, with overs in hand, but still 70 runs short.

Yorkshire v Surrey
Yorkshire 171 all out lost to Surrey 172/8 by 2 wickets
Having bowled Yorkshire out for a paltry 171 in just 33 overs Surrey must have been eyeing a useful bonus point win to help them try and sneak into the third place play-off spot. As it turned out just winning proved to be a challenge.
Apart from Lauren Winfield-Hill's 48 Yorkshire put up little resistance with the bat. Only four other players made it into double figures with Sarah Glenn's 32 responsible for taking them beyond 150. 
At 123/4 Surrey looked in control, if slightly uncomfortable, but then when Hannah Rainey (3/41) wiped out the Surrey middle order Surrey found themselves struggling at 148/8. Fortunately Chira Chatli (66*) was still there and got her team over the line in the 41st over for a deep sigh 4 point win. 

* NSB (injured), DWH (injured), Mahika Gaur (injured), Lauren Bell (not injured), Amy Jones (not injured), Sophie Ecclestone (not injured), Linsey Smith (not injured)

Martin Davies
27/VIII/2026

Round 13 of the One Day Cup - Big Hundreds & Battle for Third Place Tightens

As rain fell for the first time in two months the Women's County Championship (aka the One Day Cup) began it's run in to September's semi-final and final. This was Round 13 of 18. Very few of the England players, including those named for the upcoming Ireland ODIs, were available to play, so counties were relying on their up-and-coming youngsters to fill the gaps. 

As it was there were wins for the top two - The Blaze and Hampshire, who look to be battling it out for the top spot (the pair clash at Southampton on 9th September), but third placed Durham, having jumped to third on the back of two wins in June, were brought back to earth by The Blaze, who racked up 356/4 against them at Trent Bridge. Their loss allowed Warwickshire to leapfrog them into third with a gritty win over Yorkshire, and Somerset put themselves right in the mix with a resounding victory over bottom-dwellers Essex at Chelmsford. 
Just six points separate third and sixth with Somerset and Surrey having a game in hand over Warwickshire and Durham. 
With a swathe of England players likely to play next week before jetting off to the Midlands for the Ireland series, things could get spicey.  

In batter friendly conditions due to the heat there were hundreds for the Blaze's Kathryn Bryce (136) and Georgia Elwiss (134*), for Somerset's Bex Odgers (133*) and Sophie Luff (103), and another for Georgia Adams (115). 

Here is what happened in Round 13....
Essex v Somerset
Essex 266/8 lost to Somerset 267/2 by 8 wickets
After a poor start Essex got themselves into a great position at 184/2 in the 35th over courtesy of a 169 run partnership between Jodi Grewcock (87) and Sophia Smale (83), but three wickets in 11 balls for just two runs changed the shape of the Essex innings, which went from a possible 300 down to a respectable 266/8.
Somerset needed a good start in reply and boy did they get it! Bex Odgers (133*) and Sophie Luff (103) took Essex's bowling attack to bits. By the end of the powerplay they were 68/0, after 20 overs 136/0, and after 30 194/0. When Luff went to a horrible full toss from Grewcock the game was already won as the pair had put on 223 for the first wicket. It was fitting that Odgers stroked the winning run in the 39th over.

Surrey v Hampshire
Surrey 228 ao lost to Hampshire 229/6 by 4 wickets
On a rather barren-looking Guildford outfield Surrey threw away a perfectly good start from makeshift openers Rachel King (45) and Alice Monaghan (36), in the absence of several England players. They had batted through all but one ball of the powerplay and put on 69 untroubled runs, before King succumbed to a sharp caught and bowled from Georgia Adams. When Monaghan holed out to an Adam's full toss and Bex Tyson drifted one into Sune Luus's leg stump the door was open for the wily Amanda-Jade Wellington (4/37) to rip out Surrey's middle order. Only Alice Davidson-Richards withstood the barrage, but when she was eighth out with Surrey on 217 the writing was on the wall. Surrey posted 228 before they lost their last wicket in the 45th over.
Hampshire were always comfortably up with the run rate, but by the halfway stage had lost four of their top five. Only Georgia Adams (115) stood firm. A 62 run partnership with Nancy Harman (37) put the game beyond doubt and Hampshire romped home in the 42nd over despite losing Adams as victory was in sight.

The Blaze v Durham
The Blaze 356/4 beat Durham 217 ao by 59 runs (DLS method)
With a short boundary on one side, and a lightning outfield, this was always going to be a run-fest. Marie Kelly and Tammy Beaumont missed out, but Kathryn Bryce (136) and Georgia Elwiss (134*) cashed in as Durham conceded 356/4.
Durham started their reply in rather subdued fashion scoring just 43 off the first 10 overs. It meant when the rain came and wiped 16 overs off their innings they were miles behind the clock, needing another 236 runs off just 24 overs. To be fair they gave it their best shot with Mady Villiers hitting 65 off 34 balls and Bess Heath 57 off 28 balls, but going at 10 an over for 24 overs is a mighty ask. Eventually they were all out for 217 with a few overs in hand. Kirstie Gordon took 4/54, which included 22 off her fourth over as Villiers hit her for two 4s and two 6s. 

Warwickshire v Yorkshire
Warwickshire 269/9 beat Yorkshire 202 ao by 57 runs (DLS method)
Yorkshire will have been kicking themselves all the way back to Headingley as their fielding let them down in a game they could have won. At least seven catches were put down including Meg Austin on 3 and 5. She went on to be the backbone of a slightly pedestrian Warwickshire innings scoring 94 before she offered Yorkshire one chance too many to get rid of her. Fortunately for Warwickshire Em Arlott (who is heading to Yorkshire next season) clattered 44 off 19 balls as Warwickshire ran out of overs and Yorkshire ran out of ideas. 
Before Yorkshire could set off in reply there was a brief rain delay which reduced their target to 260 off 46 overs. However at 28/3 just after the 9 over powerplay that target looked a long way off. And so it proved. The ubiquitous Sterre Kalis (52) offered most resistance, but Warwickshire kept chipping away at the wickets, which finally ran out in the 41st over with Yorkshire still 57 runs short. 

Martin Davies
20/VI/2026

Round 12 of the One Day Cup - Last one before another break

With England involved in the T20 World Cup and England A in the middle of a low-key series with India A, many of the county sides have been struggling to field full-strength teams. The positive spin is that it gives some the Academy members the chance to make their first team debut. The negative is that some games are less than competitive. 
In this sandwich filler section Surrey were surprisingly the big losers. They only played two games, but lost to both The Blaze and to Durham. They have slipped to fifth in the table, but are only 2 points off the play-off places. 
Two wins for Durham have taken them to the dizzying heights of third, behind The Blaze and Hampshire. 
Essex lost all three of the games they played in this segment of the competition and are rooted to the bottom of the league, but, with five games still to play even they are not out of possible contention for the play-offs, although you'd have to say it looks a pretty distinct possibility. 
Any team that can get on a roll in August and September can make the play-offs. The England v Ireland series could interfere in team selection in that period, but most teams should be back to full strength, subject to post-Hundred injuries and resting players. 

Current table

Here is what happened in Round 12.....

The Blaze v Yorkshire
Yorkshire 150 ao lost to The Blaze 151/6 by 4 wickets
Choosing to bat did not work out too well for Yorkshire who struggled along for nearly 43 overs to put just 150 runs on the board. Only four Yorkshire batters made it into double figures and Sarah Glenn was the top scorer with 30. Charley Phillips added another 3 wickets to her season tally.
The Blaze shot out of the gates in search of the bonus point win, and were 59/3 at the end of the powerplay. Stand-in skipper Marie Kelly held them together with 66 and they got over the line 6 down in the 31st over for a short, sharp day.

Durham v Surrey
Surrey 179 ao lost to Durham 183/4 by 6 wickets
A somewhat depleted Surrey batting line-up - missing Capsey, Wyatt-Hodge, Dunkley, and Chatli - crashed and burned to the spin of  Katie Levick (4/31) and Mady Villiers (3/23). Bowled out in under 40 overs for just 179 Surrey might have felt they had a chance as they reduced Durham to 81/4, but skipper Hollie Armitage (76*) and Aussie Heather Graham (40*) completed an unbeaten century stand to claim the bonus point win.

Lancashire v Essex 
Lancashire 272/9 beat Essex 119 ao by 153 runs
Lancashire's top eight batters all made it to double figures as Lancs piled on the runs against an Essex team deprived of skipper Grace Scrivens , Jodie Grewcock and Sophia Smale, on England A duties. The writing was on the wall pretty early into the Essex innings as they struggled to 43/3 in the powerplay. Saffer Anika Bosch delayed the inevitable for a while top scoring with 32, but even she could not resist the off-spin of Fi Morris as one after another five batters holed out. Morris finished with career best figures of 6/27. She will bowl a lot better and get far less by way of reward.

Hampshire v Warwickshire
Hampshire 265/7 beat Warwickshire 194ao by 71 runs
Hampshire built their way slowly and steadily to 265 based around a fine knock from keeper Rhianna Southby (90*) and 64 from Abi Norgrove. Amanda Jade Wellington added a bit of oomph at the end of the innings with a run a ball 42 as the players melted in the 35 degree temperatures at the Utilita Bowl. 
Warwickshire looked out of it at 40/3, including the wicket of the returning Davina Perrin (16), but Georgia Redmayne (53) and Abbey Freeborn (54) seemed to have Warwickshire back on track before the late introduction of Wellington lead to Redmayne's downfall with 128 on the board. From there there was a steady procession of batters to and from the wicket with Georgia Adams claiming 3/30, including the important wicket of Freeborn with an instinctively one-handed return catch. A win that looked in doubt at one stage ended up being a 5 point bonus win, keeping Hampshire in second spot, albeit 4 points behind The Blaze, but 13 points clear of third placed Durham. 

Martin Davies
25/VI/2026

Round 11 of the One Day Cup - Collapses, Shocks & Big Wins

On the morning after the night before for Nat Sciver- Brunt's calf, and with England's male football players apparently getting ready for some competition or other, the ladies what cricket were at it again in the One Day Cup.
Bottom-dwellers Lancashire toppled the table-toppers The Blaze; Hampshire annihilated Essex, Somerset produced the 40 balls of the season and Yorkshire took the spoils in the Northern derby.

Here is how the games worked out......

Durham v Yorkshire
Durham 193 ao lost to Yorkshire 194/4 by 6 wickets
Durham only made it to a lowly 193 courtesy of a tenth wicket partnership of 62 between Trudy Johnson (32*) and Katie Levick (31). It never looked like being enough runs once Lauren Winfield-Hill (65) and Erin Thomas (67) serenely took Yorkshire past 140 only one wicket down. Both perished thereafter, but Yorkshire stuck to the task to claim their third victory of the year and consign Durham to their fifth defeat.

Essex v Hampshire
Essex 245 lost to Hampshire 246/0 by 10 wickets
Hampshire may have been disappointed to have allowed Essex to post 245, having been 112/6, but Essex's recovery showed how good the wicket really was. Number 8 Liberty Heap hit an aggressive 75 and Jo Gardner 56.
Hampshire need not have worried as openers Maia Bouchier (136*) and Ella McCaughan (104*) were rarely troubled, as Hampshire cruised to a 10 wicket victory within 40 overs. The only doubt was whether McCaughan would join her opening partner in hitting a 100, but, with passive assistance from Bouchier, she scored 18 of the last 19 runs required to win to post her own century.

Lancashire v The Blaze
Lancashire 239 ao beat The Blaze 211 ao by 28 runs
The Blaze at 159/4 looked to have their ninth victory nicely sown up, with Tammy Beaumont (64) and Prisha Thanawala (39) apparently in full control of the chase. Lancs had made hard work of setting 239 in the first place with the top 8 all making double figures, but only Seren Smale (51) and Fi Morris (57) going on beyond 50.
But suddenly Beaumont missed a straight ball from Jones, Ella Claridge dragged a legside delivery onto her own stumps and Thanawala tamely holed out at mid-on. The Blaze, who have escaped some scrapes this season were in another one at 173/7. This time there was no saving the points for The Blaze as they were bowled out in the 48th over for a much-needed victory for a beleaugured Lancs team.

Somerset v Warwickshire
Warwickshire 160 ao lost to Somerset 161/3 by 7 wickets
I don't think anyone saw the remarkable passage of play coming that took Warwickshire from a commanding 151/2 in the 27th over to 160 all out just 43 balls later. Openers Amu Surenkumar (58) and Georgia Redmayne (32) had laid the initial platform and Meg Austin (17) had helped take Warwickshire beyond 100, but when leg-spinner Lola Harris enticed Surenkumar to sweep the ball straight to Ellie Anderson at square leg Warwickshire's worst nightmares were about to become a reality.
Harris accounted for Pavely for a duck and left arm spinner Olivia Barnes bowled Katie George (31) with a peach; Freeborn was bowled by Harris; Taylor was run out by keeper Katie Jones' direct hit from 25 yards; Davis pulled Barnes to deep square; Stonehouse drove Harris to short cover and finally Baker dragged Barnes back onto her own stumps.
Lola Harris finished with 4/32 and Olivia Barnes 4/24.  
Shell-shocked Warwickshire did what they could with the ball, but Anika Learoyd's comfortable 70* guided Somerset to a victory that will live long in the memory.

Martin Davies
18/VI/2026

Round 10 - Clubs digging deep

With the T20 World Cup in full bling (sorry I mean swing), the 10th Round of the One Day Cup may have sneaked under the radar, and there are still two more rounds to be played in the next 10 days. With quite a few injuries to add to their list of woes clubs are being forced to dig deep to put out an XI.

Despite missing their Scottish contingent The Blaze racked up their eighth win consigning potential challengers Surrey to their fourth loss. Hampshire continued their title chase with a win over Somerset, which looked doubtful at one stage, and Warwickshire consigned the T20 form to the bin to hand Lancashire yet another beating. Durham came out best in their game with Essex.

Here is how the games panned out.....

Essex v Durham
Durham 291/9 beat Essex 245 ao by 46 runs
Once again Hollie Armitage (69 ) and Mady Villiers (76) combined to set Durham on the trail of a big score. They added 109 for the third wicket to take Durham to 199 with 15 overs still to come. But when both fell in quick succession Durham could have faded, but they continued to prosper eventually setting Essex 292 to win. 
Within 7 overs the game was effectively over - Scrivens, Grewcock and Smale gone and only 27 on the board. Flo Miller (56) and Sussex loanee, Nancy Harman (72), on debut for Essex did what they could to keep Essex in touch, but they were always behind the clock. Harman was last out in the 48th over.

Somerset v Hampshire
Hampshire 303/7 beat Somerset 264 ao by 39 runs
On a fine batting track at Taunton Hampshire were asked to set a total and they duly obliged. Their 303/7 was made up of double-figure contributions from all nine batters who came to the crease, which included scores in the 50s for Maia Bouchier, Rhianna Southby, and Francesca Sweet. Olivia Barnes claimed 3/54.
At 199/1 in the 33rd over Somerset needed another 104 off 17 overs at just over a run a ball. Aussie Anika Learoyd (87) and Bex Odgers (77) looked to have things under control, but within 4 overs the whole complexion of the game had changed as Somerset lost five wickets for just 14 runs. Spinners Adams (3/45) and Wellington (3/52) were the chief destroyers. The tail was left to try and hustle the required 91 runs still required and they came up well short, bowled out in the 47th over 

Surrey v The Blaze
Surrey 252/9 lost to The Blaze 253/5 by 5 wickets
Once again playing at Beckenham Surrey will have been disappointed to have posted only 252 against a World Cup weakened The Blaze. Their top five all got into double figures but no-one went on beyond 59 (Jemima Spence). Young slow left-armer Maria Andrews bowled her 10 overs and took 3/40, her lack of pace seeming to be Surrey's undoing. 
After a poor start, losing Beaumont to the 11th ball of the reply and overseas Knott in the 14th over, Georgia Elwiss (96) and Marie Kelly (69) took The Blaze two thirds of the way to their required total. Elwiss was still there as they levelled the scores before holing out at mid-on with victory, and a century, tantalisingly close.

Warwickshire v Lancashire
Warwickshire 314/7 beat Lancashire 294 ao by 20 runs
Warwickshire, still without Davina Perrin and Emily Arlott, piled on the runs against a dejected Lancashire attack. The returning Katie George helped herself to 127 and Meg Austin hit her first list A 100 (116). The pair added a mammoth 166 for the third wicket, with George only run out in the last over, by which time Warwickshire had sailed past 300.
Emma Lamb was back for Lancs and when she (40) and Eve Jones (113) added nearly a hundred for the first wicket, albeit in nearly 20 overs, Lancs probably felt they were in the game. But every time Lancs  thought they were making progress they lost a wicket. They needed 88 from the last 10 overs, but were six down. Despite a late flourish from Grace Potts (34) they ended 20 short with Charis Pavely taking 4/54. 

Martin Davies
15/VI/2026

Round 9 - The Halfway Mark

Round 9 done, which means that all the teams have now played half their games (8) and the table looks like this.

The Blaze have clearly won the first half of the season with seven wins out of their eight games. They have not always looked convincing, particularly with the bat, but they have consistently managed to get over the line. Hampshire are a comfortable second, despite losing to The Blaze this week. They have managed to pick up five wins, as have Surrey in third. Warwickshire sneaked into fourth, having won half the games they have played. But from there on down all the teams have lost more games than they have won.

The big surprise is defending champions Lancashire are propping up the table. They have won just two games and are bottom of the table. They are going to struggle to reach the top three and even qualify for the final, which they won last year.

The next block of three rounds are in June, during the T20 World Cup. The Blaze, fortunately only play two games in this block. The last block of games are in August and September.

Here is what happened this week.............

The Blaze v Hampshire
Hampshire 209 lost to The Blaze 211/7 by 3 wickets
The top of the table clash went the way of The Blaze as Hampshire contrived to lose their last five wickets for just 26 runs to be bowled out for 209 in their last over. In truth their innings never really got going after Charley Phillips (4/31) removed Southby and Norgrove in the second over. McCaughan (48) and Adams (89) rebuilt, but slowly. When McCaughan was out in the 31st over Hampshire only had 118 on the board. Frances Sweet added a useful 35*, but, under pressure to find some runs, the lower order crumbled.
The Blaze seemed to have the run chase completely under control with Beaumont (57) hitting her second half century in as many innings, but when she gave her wicket away Hampshire had a glimmer of hope. When Bryce, Prendergast and Gordon all fell in quick succession that glimmer had become a bright glow. But Emma Jones (37*) rode her luck in her swashbuckling style accompanied by Lucy Higham (15*) and they brought the Blaze home.

Durham v Somerset
Durham 292/8 beat Somerset 172ao by 120 runs
Durham posted an imposing 292 thanks to half centuries from Hollie Armitage (58), Mia Rogers (56), and Bess Heath (51), which was always going to be a challenge for the young Somerset batting line up. When they have to face the experience and guile of 34 year old leg spinner Katie Levick there really is only one outcome. Theye were thoroughly bamboozled as Levick helped herself to 6/37 with three balls left in her spell and Somerset were bowled out in the 39th over. 

Surrey v Lancashire
Lancashire 246/9 lost to Surrey 250/7 by 3 wickets
Eve Jones battled hard for her 69 off 105 balls, but her strike rate, always something of an issue, seems even more circumspect given that Lancashire's batting, without Lewis and Lamb, looks so fragile. There were some late middle order runs from Johnson, Lister and Cross, but 246 at The Oval looked light.
Surrey raced after the required runs as they seem want to do, but lost wickets in the process. They were 92/4 after 16 overs, but Kira Chatli (88*) and Maitlan Brown (62*), who returns to Australia now, calmed things down and took Surrey to within touching distance of victory with a stand of 134. Surrey got over the line with four overs to spare. 
It was Lancashire's sixth defeat in eight games.

Yorkshire v Warwickshire
Yorkshire 238ao lost to Warwickshire 239/7 by 3 wickets
Yorkshire are Jess Jonassen. They might as well rename the team. 
In this game she did as much as she could again - 110 runs and 3/32 off her 10 overs, but she can only bat at one end and she can only bowl 20% of their overs. That leaves quite a lot for the others to pick up, and once again no-one quite stepped up. 
Warwickshire, without Davina Perrin and Katie George, tried to make a game of it, with key batters Redmayne and Pavely out cheaply to a comedy run out (first ball of the reply) and stumped off JJ respectively, but their middle order buckled down and got the job done with 56 for Chloe Brewer the top score, alongside 45 from opener Amu Surenkumar, being the major contributions. 
Yorkshire will be wrapping JJ in cotton wool until their next game on 17th June

Martin Davies
18/V/2026

A blustery Round 8 round-up

As England managed to scrape past New Zealand in the 1st T20, and Alexa Stonehouse became the 21st member of the ODI squad as Issy Wong went down with a hamstring injury, Round 8 of the One Day Cup duly played out. Round 9 at the weekend will be the halfway mark, and the last before a month long break for The Blast.

Surrey v Essex
Essex 227 ao lost to Surrey 229/7 by three wickets
In a low key game Essex batted badly, but then got themselves into a winning position, only to throw it away as they allowed Surrey's ninth wicket pair of Priyanaz Chatterji (37) and Aylish Cranstone (31) to add 79 unbroken runs. 
Essex had Flo Miller (74*) to thank for getting past 200. She batted with style and confidence, which no other Essex bat could manage. In response Surrey found ways to get out and looked dead and buried at 150/7, but with the aid of some wayward bowling by Essex (33 extras including 21 wides - simply not good enough for a professional cricket team), and Scrivens and Gardner struggling to combine as the fifth bowler, Surrey strolled home with with 43 balls to spare. 
As an advert for women's professional cricket this should really have been banned by the ASA.

Lancashire v Warwickshire
Lancashire 226/9 lost to Warwickshire 230/6 by 4 wickets
In a game reduced to 42 overs both teams struggled to take control with the bat. Seven of Lancashire's top eight got into double figures, but the highest individual score was just 39. Warwickshire looked to be suffering the same fate, until Charis Pavely, released by England from the ODI squad, again took control with a typically belligerent 63 off 58 balls. But when she holed out off Tara Norris Warwickshire were 155/6 with 10 overs to go. Nat Wraith (34*) and Mary Taylor (42*) were Warwickshire's last hope, and as the * testify they were more than up for the task. As it was they finished the job at a canter with 9 balls to spare as Lancashire crumbled to their fifth defeat of the season.

Somerset v The Blaze
Somerset 222/9 lost tp The Blaze 224/4 by 6 wickets
Somerset battled to 222 on the back of a fine 97 from Aussie Anika Learoyd. She got some middle order support from Jess Hazell (32) and Alex Griffiths (43), but 222 never looked like being enough. And when Tammy Beaumont (99*) and Georgia Elwiss (72) combined to add 131 for the third wicket it was just a question of whether the table-toppers could get a bonus point, and whether Tammy could make a hundred. In making sure they did the former, Sarah Bryce deprived Beaumont of a chance to reach three figures, but it seemed to matter little to Beaumont, who was just pleased to be back in the runs.

Yorkshire v Hampshire
Hampshire 205/7 beat Yorkshire 196/7 by 16 runs (DLS)
This was another game that suffered in the rain with the Hampshire innings frequently interrupted and the game reduced in overs after each delay. Eventually Hampshire's innings came to an end after 38 overs with 50s from Ella McCaughan, newby Francesca Sweet and 41* from Amanda Jade Wellington being the main contributions. Having removed Lauren Winfield-Hill and Jess Jonassen within the space of 15 runs all Yorkshire's hopes were pinned on Sterre Kalis, but when she fell to an ugly heave at Dattani the bell was tolling for Yorkshire. They did manage some late hitting, but still fell 16 runs short as Hampshire pulled clear in second place ahead of Surrey.

Martin Davies
13/V/2026

Round 7 - The one where all teams batting second won by 5 wickets

I can't help feeling that this week has seen the real beginning of the One Day Cup. The England players have checked out, with the exception of a few fringe players. Suddenly the county stalwarts and depth in squads is coming to the fore, and the playing field has even upped a bit for the likes of Essex and Durham.  

The Blaze v Surrey
Surrey 164 ao lost to The Blaze 166/5 by 5 wickets
Table toppers The Blaze, playing their fourth game in ten days, made it four wins on the bounce as they bowled out a lacklustre Surrey side for just 164 and then romped home within 35 overs, despite their out of form top order yet again making little or no contribution.
Initially Surrey could not go more than 20 runs without losing a wicket and at 57/5 looked in danger of not reaching three figures, but Kira Chatli (28) and Priyanaz Chatterji (45) at least saw them past this ignominy.
The Blaze batted almost the same way and were 61/5 themselves at one point, but seasoned pro Georgia Elwiss (76*) accompanied by Surrey reject Emma Jones (36) showed the pitch held no demons as they kept The Blaze top of the league.

Essex v Lancashire
Lancashire 251/7 lost to Essex 252/5 by 5 wickets
If you were looking for any insight from the comms at Essex, then you were sadly deluded. On mute I watched Eve Jones plug away to 98, before hitting a legside half tracker from Grace Scrivens straight into square leg's hands. She was the mainstay of a Lancs' innings that never really had any oomph. Not getting out seemed to be more important than scoring runs. In response Essex openers Scrivens (74) and Griffith (61) laid the platform for first 25 overs going at the required rate. Jodi Grewcock then added the oomph. She hit 58 off 57 before she was out with only two runs needed. It was Essex's third win and Lancashire's fourth loss.

Hampshire v Somerset
Somerset 281/6 lost to Hampshire 282/5 by 5 wickets
Hampshire will have been pleased to get over the line, and even more pleased that Maia Bouchier, allowed to play despite being added to the England ODI squad as cover for Nat Sciver-Brunt, kept her focus long enough to score a sumptuous 143 runs. When you see her bat like this you cannot understand why she is not a shoo-in for England. The problem is that it is a rare occurrence. Hampshire will hope that with the need to perform to get into the now-selected World Cup squad out of the way, it may become a more regular one.
And given Hampshire's bowling they are going to need it. All credit to a young Somerset team on posting 281/6 and to Bex Odgers for a standout 133, but Hampshire allowed Somerset, through Odgers and Chloe Skelton (77*), to add an unbeaten 150 runs for the seventh wicket from the last 20 overs, including 69 off the last 5 overs. 
Somerset will continue to struggle from here-on in. Hampshire will hope their batters can continue to get them out of strife.

Warwickshire v Durham
Warwickshire 289/6 lost to Durham 290/5 by 5 wickets
Given Durham's recent batting woes Warwickshire probably thought that 289/6 with solid contributions from Davina Perrin (69), Charis Pavely (55) and Nat Wraith (54) was going to be plenty and at 66/3 in response with Marlow, Armitage and Wilson all gone, it looked like this game was following a similar path. But Mady Villiers (106) and Emily Windsor (85*) decided today was not going to be another groundhog day. Villiers dominated as the pair took the score to 157 before her quickfire century came to a rather ugly end. At the time Windsor was only 20 off 34 balls. It was time for her to step up, and step up she did. With solid support from Bess Heath and Grace Thompson she comfortably took Durham to their second win of the season. They remain bottom of the table on NRR due to the manor of earlier defeats, but you can't help feeling that they will add a few more wins in the weeks to come.

Martin Davies
07/V/2026

Round 6 of the One Day Cup

On a weekend that saw the England World Cup squad dressed in fatigues yomping around the countryside with the British Army, the rest of the professional cricketers simply got on with playing some cricket. 

Round 6 saw a first defeat for Hampshire; another 100 for Charis Pavely; a five wicket haul for Charley Phillips; and a Dutch vergissing. 

Durham v The Blaze
The Blaze 240/8 beat Durham 148 ao by 92 runs
Once again The Blaze's top order went AWOL and the fact they got to post a mediocre 240/8 was almost entirely down to captain Kirstie Gordon, who scored a resolute 60* coming in at 8. She is currently The Blaze's third top run scorer and tops their batting averages! Mention should also be made of 19 year old Prisha Thanawala, who scored a pleasing 47 on debut.
Durham had moved serenely on to 29 without loss in the 6th over when the wheels on their bus suddenly fell off, as they lost five wickets for 22 runs, four of them to pacer Charley Phillips (5/49). Emily Windsor and Grace Thompson dug in for 41 and 49 respectively, but they were merely delaying the inevitable, as Durham were bowled out in the 40th over for just 148

Lancashire v Hampshire
Hampshire 153 ao lost to Lancashire 157/4
Hampshire travelled to Old Trafford unbeaten, but came away having been handed a chastening defeat. Having been asked to bat first Hampshire made their usual ponderous start having lost Bouchier early. After 10 overs they had meandered to just 29/1. When both Norgrove (20 off 49) and McCaugahan (30 off 58) fell Hampshire's vulnerable middle order was exposed. They capitulated and Hampshire were bowled out for 153 in the 43rd over, despite 32 from Amanda Jade Wellington.
It was never enough, and Lancashire romped home following an opening partnership of 93 between, who else, but Emma Lamb (56) and Eve Jones (47). Brief import, Aussie Maddy Penna, helped herself to a belligerent 36* ending the game with a 6.

Warwickshire v Somerset
Warwickshire 336 ao beat Somerset 302 ao by 34 runs
Almost as many runs are being scored at Edgbaston this year as were scored at Beckenham last year. With a good wicket, and a consistently short boundary on one side, it is a matter of who can smash the most runs. It is a scenario which is suiting Charis Pavely at the moment, who likes to give the ball some serious welly. She followed up her 128 here four days ago with another 127 (off 103 balls) to allow Warwickshire to post 336, with skipper Davis stumped off the penultimate ball. Surrey loanee Alexa Stonehouse also enjoyed the short boundary with a quickfire 58* off 35 balls.
Without their England contingent, and their skipper Sophie Luff, who suffered a concussion in the field, Somerset looked up against it, but to their credit they battled well, although they never really threatened victory. Niamh Holland made a combative 65 and Chloe Skelton an encouraging late order 51. It took Somerset beyond 300, but still well short of victory.

Yorkshire v Essex
Essex 270/8 beat Yorkshire 257 ao by 13 runs
Essex looked set to post over 300 after Cordelia Griffith (69) and Grace Scrivens (36) laid the foundation with an opening stand of 97 in just under 19 overs, but, when in form Jodi Grewcock was needlessly run out, the last 10 overs produced only 70 more runs. 270 looked eminently gettable.
All the more so as Lauren Winfield-Hill put her two previous ducks behind her with an authoratative 83 off 73 balls. At 211/4 with 14 overs to go Yorkshire were in the driving seat, despite being without influential Aussie Jess Jonassen (who had returned to Australia for some R&R). They needed just 60 at just over four an over, with Sterre Kalis seemingly well in control. But Kalis ran out partners Maddie Ward and Rachel Slater, lost Langston and Cooper (to a stunning catch by Grewcock) and then proceeded to take an unnecessary single to leave number 11 Jess Woolston on strike with only 14 needed off 24 balls. Woolston was bowled by Grewcock. Yorkshire had lost and Kalis was 65*. 
This was a game Yorkshire will have targeted and they should have won. 

Martin Davies
03/V/2026

Remarkable Round Five Round-Up

What a magnificent day of women's county cricket the fifth round of the One Day Cup has just provided! If you weren't at a game then why not?

The headlines were :-

• No less than five individual hundreds
• Two great run chases
• One almost great run chase
• And a final ball thriller

Hampshire v Surrey
Hampshire 272/5 v Surrey 259 ao - Hampshire won by 13 runs
Inserted by Surrey Hampshire made serene, if rather languid, progress to 272/5 with the top four batters rarely troubled by the Surrey attack. Abi Norgrove helped herself to 81* off 81 balls and Maia Bouchier, who had just been told that she had not made either the England World Cup squad or the ODI squad, 78 off 91 balls. Despite a good platform Hampshire could not kick on to a big score in excess of 300. 272 looked eminently gettable.
However when Surrey succumbed to 81/6 it looked anything but, but Danni Wyatt had only just walked to the crease at number 7 for Surrey. When she left, with 119 runs to her name, Surrey were within 22 runs of victory and still had 14 balls to come. The trouble was they only had one wicket, having lost their previous three to run outs. Eight balls later Danni Gregory became the fourth run out victim in a row as Hampshire claimed the win and went to the top of the table.

Somerset v Essex
Somerset 268/9 v Essex 269/5 - Essex won by 5 wickets
Somerset, denuded of their England players - Knight, Dean and Gibson - without reason given, were perhaps the underdogs in this game, despite Essex's inability to win a game until now. As it was they posted a challenging 268/9 thanks to 56 from overseas Anika Learoyd, 79 from young keeper Katie Jones and 53* from all-rounder Alex Griffiths. The question was could Essex hold their nerve in the run chase?
At 21/3 the answer seemed to be No. All hope seemed to be pinned on 21 year old England hopeful Jodi Grewcock. She has been in sparkling form with the bat this season with previous scores of 80, 77 and 44. Essex needed her to go big....and she obliged! With assistance from Jo Gardner (50) and Flo Miller (54*) Grewcock hit a serene 120* to secure Essex's first victory of the 2026 season. She has rightly been named in England's ODI squad v New Zealand and it would be good to see her given the chance to shine on the international stage.

The Blaze v Warwickshire
Warwickshire 302/5 v The Blaze 303/7 - The Blaze won by 3 wickets
Warwickshire's imposing total of 302/5 was built around a One Day Cup record stand of 197 between Katie George (98) and Charis Pavely (128*) as The Blaze's bowlers toiled in vain at Trent Bridge. 
No doubt the Warwickshire camp were feeling pretty confident going into the second innings, and 40 overs in, with The Blaze on 198/4 and still needing 105 off the last 10 overs, they would have been gently shepherding their chickens towards the counting machine. But the heroine of lost causes, Orla Prendergast (56 off 31) and the canny Georgia Elwiss (31 off 17), scattered the chickens to all parts of the field. A series of double-digit overs took the equation to 48 off the last five overs, and then 17 off the last two, although Prendergast had perished to the last ball of the 48th. Wong got Elwiss with the second ball of the next over, but then proceeded to bowl a legside full toss to Higham which she gratefully swotted for 4. As Wong looked to get out of the over she bowled another waist-high full toss to Gordon who smashed it for 6. The Blaze claimed the two they needed from the first two balls of the last over for another Get Out of Jail win.

Yorkshire v Durham

Durham 290/8 v Yorkshire 290 ao - Match tied
In a game that resembled a festival match between Current Yorkies and Old Yorkies it seemed inevitable that this would be a game that would swing violently to and fro. 
Having lost their top four for just 53 Durham looked to be in a whole heap of trouble, but for once their middle order came to the party, albeit with some assistance from the Yorkshire fielding. Bess Heath made a belligerant 70 off 52 balls and Phoebe Turner ran a couple off the last ball of the Durham innings to take her to a maiden List A 100. After their batting performance on Saturday against Hampshire (bowled out for 118) 290/8 looked a reasonable return against the Tier One newbies.
Yorkshire were once again indebted to Jess Jonassen (104) for keeping them in the game as she struck her second consecutive ton. Ably assisted by Sterre Kalis (79) Yorkshire needed just 62 off the last 10 overs with 5 wickets in hand. It should have been a stroll in the park, but a tad too much strolling led to a string of careless run outs. Suddenly Yorkshire were 269/9. They still only needed a run a ball but the last pair were at the crease. By hook or by crook they took the game to the last over still needing 10 to win. When Rachel Slater pumped the second ball of the over careering over the square leg boundary for 6, just three were needed off four balls. A dot and two singles left the scores tied with a ball to come. Slater swung, missed, ran and keeper Wilson underarmed the ball at the stumps from ten metres and hit. Woolston was run out and the game was tied.

Martin Davies
30/IV/2026

One Day Cup - Round Four

Champions Lancashire committed the cardinal sin of losing to Yorkshire in the Roses match; Essex somehow got themselves into a winning position and still lost; Somerset handed Surrey a severe beating down in the sunny West Country; and Durham forgot to turn up against Hampshire.
Just another day in the One Day Cup!
It all means that :-

• Somerset are the only team with a 100% record
• Last year's champs have only won one out of four
• Essex have yet to win a game

We review the games below, but for now the table looks like this, with the next round of games on Wednesday, when England players should again be available.

Essex v The Blaze
Essex 213 ao lost to The Blaze 215/7 by 3 wickets

At one stage Essex looked like they could be bowled out for less than 170, with only Jodi Grewcock (44) and Sophia Smale (34) making runs in the top order, but Amara Carr (50) shepherded the tail to another 58 runs off the last 10 overs to take Essex to a below par 213 all out. 
But within 37 balls of The Blaze's reply they had lost England players Beaumont, Sciver-Brunt (for a golden duck) and Jones, and Scottish skipper Bryce, to be precariously poised at 22/4. Marie Kelly (37) and Georgia Elwiss (30) staged a mini comeback, but when that petered out the game seemed to be Essex's to take with The Blaze still needing 109 with only three wickets in hand. But Orla Prendergast (69*) and Kirstie Gordon (47*) had other ideas as they calmly restored order and took The Blaze home within 40 overs for the bonus point win.

Hampshire v Durham
Durham 118 ao lost to Hampshire 121/4 by 6 wickets
It will have been a long coach journey home for Durham who simply did not turn up at the Utilita Bowl. Having made a steady, if unspectacular, start Durham found themselves at 100/5 halfway through their innings, with early batters having found ways to get themselves out. They needed to dig in, but instead they shipped out. Lauren Bell returned to bowl having taken 0/18 off her first four unremarkable overs. She proceeded to wipe out the remains of the Durham innings taking 5/4 in 25 balls as Durham crumbled to 118 all out. 
It was always going to be a walk in the park, particularly with 30 runs off the first 3 overs, which saw opening bowlers Filer and Turner immediately relieved of their duties. Hampshire contrived to lose four wickets in the chase, but got home in less than half the stipulated overs

Lancashire v Yorkshire
Yorkshire 241 ao beat Lancashire 158 ao by 83 runs
The first pro Lancashire v Yorkshire game went the way of the White Roses, courtesy of an Australian, who probably has no idea where the Pennines are. Together with Dutch batter Sterre Kalis, Jess Jonassen added 109 for the third wicket, and then took her team to nearly 200, before she was out for 108 in the 41st over. Yorkshire could only muster 45 more after her departure leaving them with only 241 runs on the board. Kate Cross claimed her first wickets of the season with 4/38. But Lancashire's batting without Emma Lamb and Gaby Lewis, both injured, looked somewhat threadbare, and so it proved. 
Run-getter Jonassen turned wicket-taker, ripping out the Lancashire middle order, from which they never recovered. They eventually subsided to 158 all out in the 42nd over, with, you guessed it, Jonassen taking the last wicket to fall to end with 4/30.

Somerset v Surrey
Somerset 337/9 beat Surrey 201 ao by 136 runs
Somerset flayed Surrey's toothless bowling attack to all parts of the County Ground at Taunton, with Heather Knight helping herself to 103 and Dani Gibson 77 (off 37), as they notched up 337/9 in their 50 overs. Maitlan Brown took 4/57 and Dani Gregory 3/57. Surrey went out hard in reply and lost Smith and Scholfield early, but after Alice Capsey (59) and Alice Davidson-Richards (48) were out the writing was on the wall, and they were bowled out with nearly 17 overs to come for just 201. Live by the sword, die by the sword seems to be the new Surrey motto!

Martin Davies
27/IV/2026

Round Three of the Women's One Day Cup

Sunday's game between Lancashire and Somerset concluded the third round of games in the Metro Bank One Day Cup. It is early days, but Surrey are the big winners to date and Essex the big losers. Surrey have won all three of their games and Essex have yet to open their account. 

Here's what happened this weekend....

Essex v Warwickshire
Essex 157 ao v Warwickshire 160/5 (40.4 overs)
Essex's poor start to the season hit a new low as they were bowled out for just 157, 59 of which came off the blade of Grace Scrivens. Gardner and Smale were the only other Essex batters to get into double figures. Was it down to spectacular Warwickshire bowling? Well...No. Five Warwickshire bowlers helped themselves to a couple of wickets as the Essex innings subsided within 40 overs. Warwickshire could take their time in their reply and they did, with Davina Perrin hitting 43 off 59, and the non-bowling Katie George an undefeated 42 off 71. It was unspectacular, but effective. 

Yorkshire v The Blaze
Yorkshire 280/9 v The Blaze 210 ao
I doubt that The Blaze were one of Yorkshire's "targetted teams", according to skipper Lauren Winfield-Hill, that they thought they could be competitive against. However on a day when The Blaze bowling attack looked completely out of salts, bowling 20 wides, and LWH (90) and Jess Jonassen (67) stayed at the crease long enough to make meaningful contributions, compete they could. 
The fact that they got to 280/7 rather than 240 was almost entirely down to Sterre Kalis who was only out in the last over having scored 61 off 42 balls. She treated each of the eight Blaze bowlers with equal disdain. 
But still 281 was not an ungettable score until The Blaze's bowling woes turned into batting woes. While Marie Kelly (56) and Katherine Bryce (55) were at the crease they had hope, but from 126/1 they slithered to 162/8 with Jess Jonassen (4/18) leading the charge. Only a rearguard action by Kirstie Gordon (24) and Grace Ballinger (29) saved The Blaze further blushes, but they were still bowled out in the 42nd over for a chastening defeat for them and Yorkshire's first win at Tier One level.

Durham v Surrey
Durham 256/8 v Surrey 258/7 (36.4 overs)
With all the England players available (although Dunkley chose not to play) on paper this was a game that Surrey should have won with one hand tied behind their back. As it was Durham posted a reasonable score of 256/8, courtesy of a fine century partnership between skipper Hollie Armitage (106) and Mady Villiers (55). Both batted confidently against a fairly toothless Surrey attack, although the Oval is not a ground you want to be a bowler on. That is unless you are Durham's Lauren Filer who helped herself to 5/59 courtesy of some decent pace, but some careless batting from Surrey, who seemed to be after the bonus point from the moment they started their innings. They went Hell for leather from ball one and, although Filer was expensive, they disrespected her decent balls at their peril.
At 62/4 (three of them to Filer) Surrey looked vulnerable, but with Dani Wyatt-Hodge coming in at 6 Durham needed the rest of their bowlers to stand up and be counted. Unfortunately on the placid Oval pitch they could not exert any pressure as Surrey cruised along at 7 an over. Filer returned and got Chatli as she pinged a ball straight to deep square, but Jemima Spence (27) and Maitlan Brown (27*) proved more than useful foils to another inevitable DWH century if Surrey did not run out of runs required before she got there. She got to 96 and Surrey only needed three to win. She went to hit the ball over mid-off, but failed. Two balls later the game was done and the bonus point secured, but you can't help feeling that Surrey's gung-ho attitude might be their downfall on another day.

Lancashire v Somerset
Lancashire 259/8 v Somerset 260/6 (47.5 overs)
This looked like it might be the tightest game of the weekend, with Somerset, fielding their three England players, taking on the champions. The bookies made Lancs favourites, but when news filtered through that neither Emma Lamb nor Gaby Lewis were playing for Lancs the odds on Somerset winning were significantly shortened.
Invited to bat Lancs made a pedestrian start reaching just 28/1 after the powerplay overs and by halfway they were still only on 96/3, but Ellie Threlkeld (71) and Fi Morris (52) put together a partnership of 88 and laid the platform for Lancs to add 77 from the last 10 overs to take them to a respectable, if unspectacular on the Southport wicket, 259/8.
The first half of the Somerset reply almost mimicked the Lancs innings with them on 37/1 after 10 and 90/3 after 25. But after drinks Somerset, in the shape of Heather Knight (63) and Aussie Anika Learoyd (32) decided it was time to come out of their shells. They took 38 off the next four overs and the momentum had changed. Learoyd perished, but that just brought the blunt instrument that is Dani Gibson (60) to the crease. They quickly got the required run rate under a run a ball and despite Sophie Ecclestone accounting for both her England team mates, the damage was done and Somerset cruised to victory in the 48th over.

Martin Davies
20/IV/2026

Round Up of Round Two of the Women's One Day Cup

Hot on the heels of Round One came Round Two of the One Day Cup, but it was too much 50 over cricket for England contracted girls, who played yet another internal T20 game. But it was a chance for The Blaze to get their 2026 campaign underway amidst a blustery forecast. So let's start with their game against champions Lancashire.

The Blaze v Lancashire
Lancashire 223 ao v The Blaze 148/5 (28.3) (The Blaze won by 6 runs (DLS Method)
Once again Lancashire's top order flourished this time in the shape of Emma Lamb 77 (98). Before she got out Lancashire were 176/3 with nearly 14 overs to come. The fact that they only added another 47 runs for the loss of seven wickets, before they were bowled out for 223 in the 49th over, was symptomatic of their failure to address the same problem they had last year.
The Blaze's response got off to an awful start when Sarah Bryce was run out in the first over going for a second run Marie Kelly did not even contemplate. But after 20 overs The Blaze had taken their score to 91/3 and the game was evenly balanced when the weather intervened. When the teams got back on the pitch nearly two hours later The Blaze were required to score another 80 runs in the remaining 11.4 overs. Kelly (44) and Prendergast (40) managed to keep the required run rate in check with The Blaze having one eye on the ongoing DLS requirement as the weather closed in again. Having just taken 11 runs from the 28th over The Blaze were ahead of the DLS requirement when the heavens opened two balls later. 

Durham v Essex
Durham 311/3 v Essex 288/5
It took Essex more than half their overs to get their first wicket against Durham with Emma Marlow getting out for 53, her maiden half-century. It would be another 22 overs before they got their second, by which time Hollie Armitage (81) and Aussie import Tahlia Wilson (152) had taken Durham to 300 with a 163 run partnership. Wilson succumbed to the last ball of the innings, but 311 looked to be a tall order for Essex. Cordelia Griffith (50) and Grace Scrivens (47) set about trying to lay a platform for the chase and had added 113 before Scrivens fell, but they had used up 25 overs in doing so. Griffith was out shortly after and it was not until Flo Miller (49*) joined Jodie Grewcock (77) after 36 overs that the run rate picked up, but by then it was too late. Both enjoyed themselves adding 89 in 13 overs, but Essex still found themselves 23 runs short at the end of their allotment of overs.

Yorkshire v Surrey 
Yorkshire 185 ao v Surrey 193/7  
Things were going pretty well for Yorkshire on 131/2 with Lauren Winfield-Hill 60* and Sterre Kalis 38* when Aussie pacer Maitlan Brown bowled a bouncer at LWH. She got herself into a mess trying to pull it and it kissed her helmet and went through to the keeper. Cue the obligatory appeal from the keeper and then the erroneous raised finger. LWH was not happy and she made her feelings known to the two standing umpires as she wandered slowly off the field. It would ultimately result in 5 penalty runs being awarded to Surrey. Two balls later Brown removed Kalis and 131/2 turned into 132/4. The Yorkshire middle order managed another 53 runs, but having been 185/6 Yorkshire contrived to lose their last four wickets without adding another run. 
By contrast Surrey (or rather Paige Scholfield) made light of the conditions - damp and dark. In a stand of 92 for the second wicket Alice Monaghan scored just 22. Scholfield went to her 50 off 25 balls and hit 17 4s and two 6s in her final score of 89 off 42 balls. But when she was out with the score on 139/3 Surrey's middle order got a serious attack of the collywobbles. Chatli went first ball, Spence two overs later and then brown also went for a duck. Fortunately Surrey have the stoic Alice Davidson-Richards (35*), who watched on in disbelief from the non-strikers end before bringing her team home with back to back 4s off Beth Langston with overs to spare.

Warwickshire v Hampshire
Warks 354/7 v Hampshire - did not bat
In a welcome change for Warwickshire  all of their top five hit half centuries as Edgbaston's short boundary again led to a run-fest. The only thing that could curtail the runs was the weather. After Warwickshire had helped themselves to the second highest score of the season so far - Perrin top scoring with 81 and Pavely 63* off 38 balls, Hampshire must have been delighted that the rain intervened as the players took lunch. No further play was possible and the sides took two points each.

Round Three is this weekend. On Saturday..
Essex v Warks at Chelmsford
Surrey v Durham at The Oval
Yorkshire v The Blaze at Headingley
And now on Sunday..
Lancs v Somerset at Southport

Martin Davies
16/IV/2026

Thoughts on Day One of the Women's One Day Cup

Today I started yet another women's cricket season. This time it was at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton. And for the first time in many years I was there as a completely impartial observer. What I am looking for in particular this year is the next generation of international players. Hopefully I will see some good games of cricket along the way, as well as some exciting individual performances.

First up at The Bowl were Hampshire and Essex. Hampshire finished top of the table last year. Essex finished bottom. Hampshire had England players Bouchier, Kemp and Smith to help them out. Essex didn't!

Invited to bat on a blustery day with an  ice-cold wind, Essex lost England hopeful Grace Scrivens for a duck, and then Cordelia Griffith was run out with only 21 on the board. It looked like little had changed from last year. But then former Berkshire stalwart Lissy MacLeod and young gun Jodi Grewcock added 94 for the third wicket before Lissy ran herself out. Grewcock carried on in the face of some fairly toothless bowling it has to be said. She looked to be heading for a well-deserved hundred, but a rather ugly swipe and a miss at a Dattani straight ball was her undoing. She is already on the England radar, perhaps more for her leg spin bowling potential, but she showed she has a good temperament. Predominantly a back foot player, happy to pull, hook and cut, she is sometimes tentative coming forward. But she is lefthanded and has the added plus of her bowling. Essex will need her to maintain this fine start with the bat. Hopefully a finger injury sustained while bowling later in the day was not too serious, although she left the field mid-over and never returned, which are not good signs.

Once she had gone for a fine 80 you felt the Essex innings would inevitably peter out to not many over 200, but some measured batting from Amara Carr (33) and some rather more lusty batting from Sophia Smale (33), plus some dire catching from Hampshire allowed Essex to post a competitive 265/8. Hampshire's bowling and fielding let them down badly.

When batting Hampshire suffered their own early loss as Bouchier lofted McGregor tamely to mid-off early on, but that brought Abi Norgrove to the crease to join Ella McCaughan. These are two of the quietest and most unassuming youngsters, but they batted together with a maturity that belied their age. Circumspect at first, Hampshire only had 78 on the board after 20 overs, but unflustered they ran well and put away the bad balls. It was a surprise to the hardy spectators and to McCaughan herself when she chipped a return catch to Smale on 90. Hampshire were still 99 runs shy of their target. Freya Kemp, who didn't bowl, loped to the wicket. Frenetic at first, she should have been caught early on by MacLeod, but she worked through it and the pair added 40 before Norgrove holed out at long on for a splendid 85. She hid her head behind her bat for most of the walk back to the pavilion. But this was her highest score and her disappointment shows she has the right attitude to score more.

The Kemp drop was costly. She went on to score 46 at better than a run a ball, and despite being out in the penultimate over she and stand-in skipper Naomi Dattani (25*) saw Hampshire home with just two balls to spare. 

This was a game that Hampshire should have dominated, but their bowling let them down. Essex will have taken heart from both their batting and bowling performance, but they may continue to struggle in this early part of the season. 

As for prospects Grewcock and Norgrove impressed, but McCaughan stood out. Quite how the new Head Selector left her out of the recent South Africa internal games beats me. England's current loss is Hampshire's gain. Hampshire need to make the most of her while they have her. 

➣➣➣➣

Elsewhere newcomers Yorkshire were bowled out for just 178 in under 34 overs by Somerset at Taunton. Alex Griffiths and Chloe Skelton helped themselves to four wickets each as Yorkshire found ways to get themselves out. It looked like Somerset were in charge of the reply, despite lowly contributions from England pair Heather Knight (5) and Dani Gibson, with Sophie Luff and keeper Jess Hazell looking comfortable at the crease, but Hazell was unfortunately run out at the bowler's end for 18 and Somerset slipped from 99/3 to 115/8 in the space of 6 overs. The game seemed to be Yorkshire's for the taking, but Sophie Luff found a willing and determined ally in debutant leg-spinner Lola Harris. The couple took the score to within 9 of the Yorkshire total before Harris (18 off 55) looped a catch back to Claudie Cooper. It was left to Maddie Ward, endeavouring to make amends for a bad drop of Sophie Luff when she was on 52, to try and winkle out the last wicket, but Luff hit two 4s to level the scores and then struck the next ball straight back to Ward who could not cling on to claim the tie. Skipper Luff (76*) scuttled through for the single and jumped in delight as she completed the winning run. Somerset had won by one wicket.

➣➣➣➣

At Chester-le-Street Lancashire handed Durham a thumping opening defeat. They put 303/8 on the board thanks to another century from Gabby Lewis (131), who put on 176 with Eve Jones (82) for the second wicket. The Durham bowlers, including Lauren Filer in their ranks, had no answer. Sophie Turner and Katherine Fraser picked up three wickets apiece as the Lancashire batters went gung-ho in the last few overs, losing five wickets and adding just 13 runs. 
As feared Durham's batting crumbled. They were all out for 154 in 40 overs with Emily Windsor (46) the only batter to score over 30. Emma Lamb, after failing with the bat, took four wickets with her off-spin. This could be a long season for Durham fans.

➣➣➣➣

And finally to Edgbaston where Warwickshire took on Surrey on a wicket cut almost on the edge of the enormous square. There is one thing you do not need when bowling at Surrey's power-packed line up and that is a short boundary. Warwickshire would have been content with their early work as they had Surrey 95/4 at the end of the 17th over with Scholfield, Dunkley, Capsey and Chatli all back in the pavilion supping on a mug of warm tea. But Danni Wyatt-Hodge, batting at 6, proceeded to pepper the Edgbaston boundary hitting eight 6s and ten 4s as she shot to 124 off just 80 balls. In tandem with a more circumspect Alice Davidson-Richards (57 off 75), the double-barrelled duo added 118 for the fifth wicket off 95 balls. And when ADR was out youngster Jemima Spence spanked a very good-looking 79 off 48 balls with eleven more 4s and two more 6s, as Surrey took their total to a mammoth 389/9. 
Warwickshire lost Davina Perrin early in their reply and at halfway through their innings they looked completely out of the game at 138/5, but some more late heaving to the short boundary from Em Arlott (90) and Issy Wong (45) took Warwickshire past 300 and denied Surrey a bonus point win. All seven of Arlott's 6s were carted onto the short side from the same end. It meant Warwickshire finished on 337/9, but still lost by 52 runs. 

Martin Davies
12/IV/2026