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

2026 Women's One Day Cup Preview

The nine team Women’s One Day Cup kicks off next Saturday (11th April) with the first four games of the season. The Blaze are the team that miss out on the first round, so their season gets underway the following Wednesday. England players are expected to be available for the games in April, although it would be no surprise if there are more batters than bowlers. Into May the English internationals will disappear and are unlikely to be seen again – series v New Zealand and India, before the T20 World Cup in June. The World Cup will also mean that teams will lose their Scottish internationals from the beginning of May.

Looking at the end of the season England have another series against Ireland in early September, which could cause further disruption, but there are no clashes for the semi-final and final dates mid-month.
It looks like being a really topsy turvy season that will test squad depth and here there looks to be a divide between the top three and the the bottom three.
Top three looks like being Lancashire, Surrey and Warwickshire.
And the bottom three are likely to be Durham, Essex, and Yorkshire.
That leaves Hampshire, The Blaze and Somerset as likely mid-tablers.
It will be interesting to see how the season pans out and whether some of the England hopefuls can live up to their billing having been in Lottie’s “Top 30 Players in the Country” games recently in South Africa.
So here are my views on all the teams. Make of them what you will. I will have regular updates after each round of games.

DURHAM

I can’t help feeling that Durham will struggle again this season, particularly without the assistance of Suzie Bates or any replacement overseas star (they have now signed Aussie keeper/batter Tahlia Wilson for the first half of the MBODC - she will get plenty to do).
Batting looks to be their Achilles’ heel, with much riding on the form of Hollie Armitage, as it did last year, but then she had the help of Bates for much of the season. Ploughing a lone furrow game after game will be a tough ask. Mady Villiers, Leah Dobson and Bess Heath will need to step up if Durham are to set competitive totals.
On the bowling front senior pro Katie Levick will continue to take wickets, and it will be interesting to see if the young pace bowler, Phoebe Turner, can continue her good start as a pro. She burst out of the traps last season, but the second season is always a bit more tricky.
The chances of Durham seeing much of Lauren Filer are pretty slim as she is likely to be involved with the England set-up, who won’t want her bowling in 50 over games before the T20 World Cup.
Scottish spinner Katherine Fraser may also be missing for a chunk of Durham’s campaign on international duties just to make their lives more difficult.

Last Year’s League Position : 6^th This Year’s League Position : 8^th
Squad : Hollie Armitage, Leah Dobson, Lauren Filer, Katherine Fraser, Abi Glen, Bess Heath, Trudy Johnson, Katie Levick, Harriet Robson, Lizzie Scott, Grace Thompson, Phoebe Turner, Sophia Turner, Emma Marlow, Mady Villiers, Emily Windsor
INS : None known
OUTS : Suzie Bates
England contracted : Lauren Filer
Overseas : Tahlia Wilson ; Heather Graham (The Blast)

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ESSEX

Last season was a major struggle for the Essex team led by Grace Scrivens. They won only two of their 14 league fixtures with 18 players getting game time during the season.
Eva Gray toiled away with the ball, but took two thirds of her 15 wickets in just two games. Opening bowler Esmae McGregor looked a good prospect and she will hope to make further progress this season.
Much will be expected of England hopefuls Grace Scrivens and Jodi Grewcock, both with bat and ball. They were both in England’s “Top 30” in South Africa and if they want to remain in contention for an England cap (remember England play Ireland in September) then they will need to stand out at county level.
Scoring enough runs could again be their biggest issue, but they are unlikely to be significantly affected by international call-ups.

Last Year’s League Position : 8^th This Year’s League Position : 7^th
Squad : Amara Carr, Kate Coppack, Ariana Dowse, Jo Gardner, Eva Gray, Jodi Grewcock, Cordelia Griffith, Liberty Heap, Esmae MacGregor, Lissy Macleod, Abtaha Maqsood, Flo Miller, Sophie Munro, Grace Scrivens, Sophia Smale
INS : Liberty Heap (Lancs)
OUTS : None known
England contracted : None
Overseas : None

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HAMPSHIRE

Hampshire were the surprise team of 2025 missing out on the title thanks to a hundred from Lancs’s smart late-season recruit, Gabby Lewis. Their team for the first few games may look strong with England’s Bell, Bouchier, Smith and Kemp on hand, but their contributions may be limited after April, and with last year’s leading wicket-taker, Freya Davies, also missing now retired, life could become a struggle.
It means opportunities with the bat for bright prospects Ella McCaughan and Abi Norgrove and with the ball for Daisy Gibb, Bex Tyson and Poppy Tulloch.
The ace up the sleeve is nomadic Aussie Amanda Jade Wellington, who has moved along the south coast from Somerset. Her experience will be invaluable, but runs and not just wickets might be needed from her to help Hampshire stay in the top half.

Last Year’s League Position 1^st : This Year’s League Position : 4^th
Squad : Georgia Adams, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Naomi Dattani, Daisy Gibb, Hannah Hardwick, Nancy Harman, Freya Kemp, Ava Lee, Ella McCaughan, Abi Norgrove, Linsey Smith, Rhianna Southby, Pippa Sproul, Megan Sturge, Francesca Sweet, Poppy Tulloch, Bex Tyson, Amanda Jade Wellington
INS : Amanda Jade Wellington; Hannah Hardwick, Francesca Sweet; Pippa Sproul
OUTS : Freya Davies (retd); Daisy Mullan (released); Mary Taylor (Warks)
England contracted : Lauren Bell; Maia Bouchier, Freya Kemp, Linsey Smith
Overseas : Amanda Jade Wellington

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LANCASHIRE

They only finished third in the league last season, but defeated The Blaze in the semi-final and then Hampshire in the Final to become the defending champions.
They relied heavily on Emma Lamb and Eve Jones for the bulk of their runs last year. They formed a formidable opening partnership. With the permanent addition of Final centurion Gaby Lewis they have a strong top order, but their middle order may be called upon to provide more runs this year – Threlkeld, Lister, Smale, Morris and perhaps young Kesteven (if given the chance). No doubt Kate Cross will keen for runs in the lower middle order too.
They are not likely to see a great deal of Sophie Ecclestone, so Hannah Jones, Sophie Morris and Fi Morris will have to step up.
Likely to be there or thereabouts.

Last Year’s League Position 3^rd : This Year’s League Position : 2^nd
Squad : Olivia Bell, Darcy Carter, Alice Clarke, Danielle Collins, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Mahika Gaur, Grace Johnson, Eve Jones, Hannah Jones, Tilly Kesteven, Emma Lamb, Gabby Lewis, Ailsa Lister, Fi Morris, Sophie Morris, Tara Norris, Grace Potts, Seren Smale, Ellie Threlkeld
INS :
OUTS : Alana King, Katie Mack
England contracted : Sophie Ecclestone, Mahika Gaur, Emma Lamb
Scottish : Darcy Carter, Ailsa Lister
Overseas : Gaby Lewis, Meg Lanning (T20 Blast)

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SOMERSET

Last season Somerset got themselves into good positions in games, but could not get over the line. They are unlikely to have the services of Dean, Knight and Gibson for long so they will have to make a strong start. Without retiring stalwart Fran Wilson a lot will fall on the shoulders of Sophie Luff to lead a very young and inexperienced team. It looks a tough ask.
It looks difficult to see where their runs will come from. The likes of Holland, Corney and Griffiths will need to knuckle down. But in Katie Jones they do have an exciting young keeper behind the stumps.
Wickets were hard to come by last season, and with leading wicket-taker Amanda Jade Wellington departing to Hampshire, could be again. Spinners Chloe Skelton and Olivia Barnes will have to support seamers Ellie Anderson and Alex Griffiths.
Not sure Aussie Anika Learoyd is going to be a game changer.

Last Year’s League Position : 7^th This Year’s League Position : 5^th
Squad : Ellie Anderson, Olivia Barnes, Emma Corney, Charlie Dean, Dani Gibson, Alex Griffiths, Lola Harris, Jess Hazell, Niamh Holland, Katie Jones, Heather Knight, Sophie Luff, Mollie Robbins, Chloe Skelton, Rebecca Odgers, Erin Vukusic
INS :
OUTS : Amanda Jade Wellington, Fran Wilson, Laura Jackson
England contracted : Charlie Dean, Dani Gibson, Heather Knight
Overseas : Anika Learoyd (April-July)

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SURREY

Despite having the strongest squad on paper last season Surrey’s MBODC campaign was a poor one, particularly early season when their large England contingent failed to impose themselves. It was perhaps a sign of things to come.
Playing their home games at Beckenham runs were easy to come by, but wins were not. Have to think this could be the last chance saloon for coach Johann Myburg.
This year they will be playing home games at the Oval, where again you would think there will be runs aplenty, particularly as their England batters are likely to be with them for the first few rounds of the competition. Bowling still looks to be their weak suit. A disgruntled Alexa Stonehouse has gone on loan to Warwickshire and Tash Farrant has retired. The current status of Ryanna MacDonald-Gay, who suffered a stress-related back injury in The Hundred last year is not known, although recruiting Maitlan Brown for the early part of the season suggests she will not be available. She also took no part in England’s training camps over the winter. That leaves Phoebe Franklin, Priyanaz Chatterji and Alice Monaghan as the frontline seam options, with Tilly Corteen-Coleman and Danielle Gregory as the spin options. Hopefully TCC will be left by England to have a full county season. She looks their main threat.
The naming of Kira Chatli as captain suggests that Bryony Smith’s participation in the MBODC may be limited.

Last Year’s League Position : 4^th This Year’s League Position : 1^st
Squad : Emily Burke, Alice Capsey, Priyanaz Chatterji, Kira Chatli, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Aylish Cranstone, Sophia Dunkley, Danielle Gregory, Bethan Miles, Alice Davidson-Richards, Phoebe Franklin, Rachel King, Charlotte Lambert, Ryanna MacDonald-Gay, Alice Monaghan, Kalea Moore, Paige Scholfield, Bryony Smith, Jemima Spence, Danni Wyatt-Hodge
INS :
OUTS : Tash Farrant (retired); Emma Jones (The Blaze); Alexa Stonehouse (loan to Warwickshire)
England contracted : Alice Capsey, Sophia Dunkley, Dani Wyatt-Hodge, Ryanna MacDonald-Gay
Overseas : Maitlan Brown (11/4 – 16/5), Laura Harris (T20 Blast)

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THE BLAZE (Notts)

The chances of The Blaze, thankfully in their last season under that name, seeing much of Nat Sciver-Brunt are minimal, but then that has been forever so. However they are likely to see a lot more of Tammy Beaumont, and perhaps Amy Jones at the start of the season. They may need them as their domestic batting line-up is not strong.
They are also likely to be without skipper Kirstie Gordon and the Bryce sisters for the three rounds of MBODC games played in June during the T20 World Cup.
Opportunities then for Ella Claridge, Marie Kelly and Cassida McCarthy to step up, alongside overseas imports Orla Prendergast and Charli Knott.

Last Year’s League Position : 2^nd This Year’s League Position : 6^th
Squad : Liv Baker, Grace Ballinger, Tammy Beaumont, Georgie Boyce, Kathryn Bryce, Sarah Bryce, Ella Claridge, Georgia Elwiss, Kirstie Gordon, Josie Groves, Lucy Higham, Amy Jones, Emma Jones, Marie Kelly, Michaela Kirk, Charli Knott, Cassidy McCarthy, Charley Phillips, Orla Prendergast, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Anne Sharpe, Prisha Thanawala, Amy Wheeler
INS : Emma Jones (Surrey); Orla Prendergast; Charli Knott
OUTS : Sarah Glenn (Yorkshire); Scarlett Hughes
England contracted : Tammy Beaumont, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver-Brunt
Scottish :  Kathryn Bryce, Sarah Bryce, Kirstie Gordon
Overseas : Orla Prendergast April/May & Aug/Sept; Charli Knott June/July

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WARWICKSHIRE

Early season the pressure will be on Davina Perrin to perform to try and force her way into the England T20 World Cup squad. It will be interesting to see how she copes.
Last season the top order was fragile and was frequently rescued by the middle and lower order, led by the dependable keeper/batter Abbey Freeborn. It will also be interesting to see who keeps for the first three months with Nat Wraith often preferred last season, and with Aussie B-Lister keeper/batter Georgia Redmayne also on her way to Edgbaston. Keeping or not she should shore up the Warwickshire batting line up and perhaps allow some of the youngsters to flourish on occasions – Austin, Brewer, Wraith, Ellis and new import Mary Taylor.
Taylor is really there for her seam bowling skills rather than her batting, but Warwickshire would do well to work with her on her batting as she could be a very useful asset.
At full strength they look a good team on paper…..but cricket isn’t played on paper.

Last Year’s League Position : 7^th This Year’s League Position : 3^rd
Squad : Em Arlott, Meg Austin, Hannah Baker, Chloe Brewer, Georgia Davis, Bethan Ellis, Abbey Freeborn, Katie George, Charis Paveley, Davina Perrin, Georgia Redmayne, Alexa Stonehouse, Amu Surenkumar, Mary Taylor, Millie Taylor, Issy Wong, Nat Wraith
INS : Mary Taylor (Hants), Alexa Stonehouse (on loan from Surrey)
OUTS : Hannah Hardwick (Hampshire)
England contracted : Em Arlott; Issy Wong
Overseas : Georgia Redmayne (until the end of July)

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YORKSHIRE

Having been the only professional team in Tier 2 last year Yorkshire will have been disappointed to have finished only fourth in the table, losing four of their nine games. They did however go on to win the final in a match reduced to 20 overs.
Leg spinner Olivia Thomas was their leading wicket-taker last year, but the transition to a higher standard may prove tricky for her. Jessica Woolston was their leading seamer and a lot will be asked of her this season too.
Senior pros Lauren Winfield-Hill and Aussie recruit Jess Jonassen are going to have to do a lot of the heavy lifting, but two players nearing the end of their careers have their limitations. Should either get injured Yorkshire will be in a whole heap of trouble (or maybe that should be an even bigger heap of trouble).
It is difficult to see them winning many games, even when new recruit Sarah Glenn is available.

Last Year’s League Position : 4^th in Tier 2 This Year’s League Position : 9^th
Squad : Ami Campbell, Claudie Cooper, Rebecca Duckworth, Ria Fackrell, Sarah Glenn, Grace Hall, Jess Jonassen, Sterre Kalis, Beth Langston, Hannah Rainey, Rachel Slater, Erin Thomas, Olivia Thomas, Madie Ward, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Jessica Woolston
INS : Sarah Glenn (The Blaze)
OUTS : None known
England contracted : Sarah Glenn
Scottish : Hannah Rainey
Overseas : Jess Jonassen, Sterre Kalis

Martin Davies
05/IV/2026

Women's Premier League 2026 - A Quick Preview

This is the fourth edition of the Women's Premier League, which again will feature just five teams. Last year's winners were the Mumbai Indians, who beat three-times finalists Delhi Capitals in the final. Mumbai have won the title twice and RCB once (2024).
Before this edition there was a mega auction with the aim of shaking up the teams for the next two years, but many teams used their Right to Match to rebuy players, who had not been retained.
The bookmakers, and the experts, make the Mumbai Indians favourites to again lift the trophy, but the betting is tight. 

Here are the likely starting XIs for each team and some thoughts on how they might perform

Delhi Capitals (DC) 
Probable XI - Verma, Wolvaardt, Rodrigues (capt), Kapp, Prasad, Henry, King, T Bhatia (wk), S Rana, Charani, N Sharma
This XI leaves Lizelle Lee on the bench, but after her stellar WBBL she could get the nod ahead of Chinelle Henry in the middle order and also potentially play as wicketkeeper, which would allow DC to bring in another batter/bowler to replace Tanya Bhatia who is a keeper only. 
Jemimah Rodrigues has been handed the captaincy for the first time with Meg Lanning having been snaffled by UPW. She is a smart cricketing cookie, but her team look light in their batting and will rely on their domestic seamers backing up Marizanne Kapp, who looks to be batting too high at 4. 
Prediction - 3rd

Gujarat Giants (GG)
Probable XI - Mooney (wk), Devine, Fulmali (wk), Gardner (capt), Wareham, Ahuja, Soni, Gautam, Kanwar, Sadhu, R Singh.
I cannot help feeling that a lot will depend on the overseas players for GG, especially Beth Mooney with the bat. They also have Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Kim Garth sitting on the bench should they be needed, but their domestic talent looks weak. 
I am not sure that Ash Gardner is a natural leader and they will need her to perform with bat and ball, and I remain unconvinced by Renuka Singh as a T20 bowler, but Georgia Wareham looks to be in the form of her life with bat and ball. They might surprise a few people.
Prediction - 1st

Mumbai Indians (MI)
Probable XI - Kamalini (wk), Matthews, Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Khemnar, Sajana, Gupta, Ismail, Ishaque
MI are relying on Matthews, NSB and Kerr to get them runs and bowl probably 10 of the 20 overs. It is a lot to ask and none of them have been in great form recently. 37 year old Shabnim Ismail has been bought back in, despite having a fairly average record in all three previous WPL tournaments. Her bowling was also expensive in the latest WBBL. If she struggles then MI have little back-up.
I am intrigued to see what 17 year old Kamalini can do as Matthews opening partner. Matthews, who has not played a game since a pretty dire Hundred campaign in August, may be more of a liability.
Prediction - 2nd

Royal Challengers Bangaluru (RCB)
Probable XI - Mandhana (capt), Voll, Naik, Harris, Ghosh (wk), de Klerk, Vastrakar, R Yadav, Patil, Reddy, Bell
Lauren Bell has never played a game in the WPL and is potentially a big gamble for RCB.
While Smriti Mandhana looks nailed on to succeed Harmanpreet Kaur as India's next T20 captain she does not seem to handle the pressure of captaincy that well. 
If the explosive top order fire you can see them making a lot of runs, very quickly, but you can also see them imploding and being 10/4 in 3 overs. 
Without Perry and probably without Vastrakar (injured) this is not a very well balanced team and I think they will struggle.
Prediction - 5th

UP Warriorz (UPW)
Probable XI - Lanning (capt), Navgire, Deol, Litchfield, Sharma, Dottin, Giri (wk), Ecclestone, Sobhana, Pandey, Gaud
They finished bottom last year under the guidance of the sacked Jon Lewis, and have had a complete overhaul in the auction, with their hopes firmly pinned to the leadership and batting of Meg Lanning and the seam bowling of the ageing, and out of favour, Shikha Pandey. It looks like a big gamble. Deepti is not a T20 number 5, and Dottin and Navgire are hit and miss with the bat at the best of times. Lanning could end up batting the entire way through every innings and watching her partners disappear at the other end.
Perhaps this is the tournament that Phoebe Litchfield makes a sustained contribution? They will need her. 
Prediction - 4th

As I have reviewed each team I have genuinely placed four of these five teams in the Final and then changed my mind again. The only team I have ruled out of Final contention are RCB.

I am still not at all convinced by my own predictions for where these teams will finish. In such a short tournament I think it will come down to one or two players (almost certainly batters) finding some great form and winning their team key games. MI have the most potential to have one of those key players, but I am not convinced this will be their year. However I still think they will make the Final. Eventually I decided that GG would meet them there. Devine is in the twilight of her career and it seems to have freed her up. I think she might have a big tournament. 
I don't think DC have the batting depth to win enough games and UPW have too many holes in their line-up filled by high strike rate hopefuls (HSRHs). 

The whole thing kicks off on Friday with Mumbai Indians v RCB and will be shown live on Sky Sport. Most games start at 2pm each afternoon here in the UK. 

Martin Davies
07/I/2026