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