The Blaze Maintain Women's One-Day Cup Dominance
The Blaze kept their treble dream burning brightly at Trent Bridge, brushing aside Somerset to tighten their grip on the Women's One-Day Cup and edge within touching distance of another showpiece final on home turf.
One more win from their final two group games and the Nottingham-based side will be back at Trent Bridge on 19 September, playing for the 50-over crown to add to their T20 Blast and County Cup titles. Right now, they look in no mood to let anyone else near it.
Higham spins the screw, Luff resists
Somerset arrived with their own ambitions and a captain in form. Sophie Luff once again carried their innings, compiling her fourth half-century of the 50-over campaign. She held the visitors together while wickets flickered around her, but The Blaze never allowed the total to get away.
Lucy Higham turned the game with the ball. The spinner ripped through the middle order, claiming 4-28 and choking off any late surge. Every time Somerset looked to push, Higham dragged them back.
Grace Ballinger and Kirstie Gordon backed her up with two wickets apiece, sharing the hard yards and making sure Somerset’s 192 never felt imposing. By the time the final wicket fell, The Blaze had the scoreboard, the conditions and the momentum exactly where they wanted them.
Beaumont sets the tone, Bryce and Jones finish the job
Chasing 193, The Blaze needed calm, not chaos. Tammy Beaumont supplied it.
The opener’s 39 anchored the early part of the reply, blunting Somerset’s new-ball hopes and giving the chase a clear, steady rhythm. Once she had laid the platform, the rest of the order could play with freedom rather than fear.
The pressure finally told on Somerset once Sarah Bryce and Emma Jones came together.
Bryce, measured and assured, crafted an unbeaten 54 from 65 balls, working gaps, rotating strike, refusing to let the rate creep up. At the other end, Jones injected tempo, striking 53 not out from just 44 deliveries. Her intent broke the contest open.
Together, they shut the door. Their unbroken partnership drove The Blaze to victory with 11.3 overs to spare, a six-wicket win that looked as controlled as it sounds. Somerset’s bowlers ran out of ideas long before they ran out of overs.
Table-toppers under pressure – but still in charge
Elsewhere, the chasing pack did their bit to keep the race honest. Hampshire, already assured of a knockout place, brushed aside Yorkshire by seven wickets to stay five points behind the leaders. Surrey thrashed Essex by 118 runs, while Lancashire survived a scare to edge Durham by three runs at their new ground on the outskirts of Preston.
None of it shifted the view from the summit. The Blaze, unbeaten and relentless in white-ball cricket this season, still hold that five-point cushion in the 50-over format. Their next assignment, away to second-placed Hampshire in Southampton on Wednesday, now carries the weight of a potential dress rehearsal for the business end of the tournament.
For Somerset, the story is different but far from over. Luff’s side remain locked in a scrap with Warwickshire for third place and a route into the eliminator on 16 September. One slip could cost them their season; one statement win could extend it.
The Blaze, though, stride on. Three trophies are still on the table. Two games remain to secure a shot at the third.
