Match Preview: Hampshire Women v The Blaze, Metro Bank One Day Cup

Hampshire Women v The Blaze

Metro Bank One Day Cup

Wednesday 30^th July (10:30am start)

Utilita Bowl

Hampshire Women take on The Blaze in the final round of Metro Bank One Day Cup fixtures before the start of The Hundred.

Georgia Adams’ side were defeated in the rain at Guildford last Thursday.

Despite fifties from Maia Bouchier and Freya Kemp, Surrey chased down their revised target of 214 after a lengthy rain break in the second innings with two balls to spare.

Australian superstar Ellyse Perry stood out with the ball, taking 2-32, with Freya Davies also claiming two wickets.

Tomorrow’s match will be the last time Ellyse Perry will feature for Hampshire.

The Blaze recently featured in the eliminator of the Vitality Blast on Sunday when they lost to eventual runners-up Birmingham Bears, despite a half-century from Georgia Elwiss, formerly of Southern Vipers.

However, the east Midlands outfit beat the Bears in their One Day Cup last Thursday, by 47 runs.

Marie Kelly fired for 66 off 61 with 46 from Georgie Boyce before pace trio Grace Ballinger, Kathryn Bryce, and Georgia Elwiss combined to take nine wickets for just 60 runs as Warwickshire were bowled out for 171.

Hampshire Squad

Hampshire have named a 15-player squad for their return to 50-over action.

Linsey Smith returns from international duty whilst pace bowler Lauren Bell remains unavailable.

Australian legend Ellyse Perry is set to play her final match for Hampshire.

Ella McCaughan and Mary Taylor remain unavailable due to injury.

Full Hampshire squad

The Blaze

Captain: Kirstie Gordon

Head Coach: Craig Cumming

The big questions: After winning their first trophy in the 2024 Charlotte Edwards Cup, how will The Blaze fare now that head coach Chris Guest has left to lead England’s Under-19s Women? Can successor Craig Cumming, the ex-New Zealand Test batter, duplicate his success with Otago Sparks after two domestic 50-over titles in three years?

Player to watch: The return of former Loughborough Lightning captain Georgia Elwiss to the East Midlands after four trophy-laden seasons with Southern Vipers adds proven experience and availability to The Blaze squad. The 33-year-old former England all-rounder’s 2024 campaign was among the best of her career, including 488 runs at 69.71 in the 50-over competition.

Young gun: Josie Groves has taken 20 List A wickets in the past two seasons yet the leg spinner has only just turned 20 and is still looking to realise her full potential both as a bowler and batter. An Under-19s World Cup finalist, she is likely to have a big part to play this season.

Final thought: Last year’s 20-over champions and 50-over finalists two years ago, The Blaze have added a fourth current England player in Amy Jones to the squad with all-rounders Orla Prendergast (Ireland) and Heather Graham (Australia) sharing overseas duties. Stung by failing to make the knock-out stage in last season’s 50-over competition, they will be eager to put that right.

Squad: Kirstie Gordon (captain), Grace Ballinger, Sarah Glenn, Georgie Boyce, Josie Groves, Cassidy McCarthy, Lucy Higham, Sarah Bryce, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Tammy Beaumont, Kathryn Bryce, Prisha Thanawala, Charley Phillips, Marie Kelly, Michaela Kirk, Ella Claridge, Georgia Elwiss, Amy Jones, Olivia Baker, Amy Wheeler, Scarlett Hughes, Heather Graham, Orla Prendergast.

Tickets

Tickets for Hampshire Women’s Metro Bank One Day Cup match against The Blaze are available here.

Gates open at 9:30am.

Hampshire Cricket Members and Women’s Season Ticket holders are granted entry with their membership package and season ticket.

Coverage

A live stream will be available for the match and a link to this stream will be available in the at www.utilitabowl.com/cricket, along with a live match centre with the scorecard, statistics and insight available throughout the match.

Weather Forecast

Please follow the link to view the latest weather forecast for Utilita Bowl: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2634447.