The Blaze v Hampshire Women
Metro Bank One Day Cup Final
Saturday 19 September (10:30am start)
Utilita Bowl
The final of the women’s Metro Bank One Day Cup is set, as Hampshire take on The Blaze at 10:30am Saturday 19th September.
Hampshire completed a dominant 194-run victory over Surrey in the eliminator, also held at Utilita Bowl, on Wednesday to see them sail through to the final for the second year running.
The Blaze are current reigning champions of both the Vitality Blast and Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup, and would love to wrap up the domestic treble come Saturday evening.
For Hampshire, Maia Bouchier has been in scintillating form all summer. Her unbeaten 117 in the eliminator was her second in succession, with the opener also scoring 118 in Hampshire’s final group match, against The Blaze.
She is now the leading run-scorer in the competition with 721 runs to her name at an average over 80.
Australian leg spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington picked up career-best figures in the semi-final, with her five for 19 demolishing Surrey as they were bowled out for just 109.
It is also her second five-for in three matches, after claiming five for 25 against Yorkshire two weeks ago.
The Blaze topped the group, winning 13 of 16 games – nine of which came with a bonus point.
They were defeated by Hampshire in their penultimate group match, but bounced back in style with a comfortable nine-wicket win over Essex as they chased down 160 inside 20 overs at Chelmsford.
Former England and Southern Vipers all-rounder Georgia Elwiss leads their run-scoring charts, with Scotland international Kathryn Bryce not far behind – both players have scored a century in the competition.
Tammy Beaumont, fresh off the back of international retirement, will be looking to add to her tally of 401 runs.
Charley Phillips is their leading wicket-taker, and the most prolific pace bowler in the competition, with highly-rated left-armer Grace Ballinger just three wickets behind.
The two of them have 49 wickets in the competition, and the spin twins of Lucy Higham and Kirstie Gordon have 37 wickets and three four-fors between them.
How will The Blaze fare having not played a match since Friday 9th September?
Hampshire
Hampshire have named a 15-player squad for the Metro Bank One Day Cup final against The Blaze.
Maia Bouchier and Freya Kemp remain available, whilst Lauren Bell and Linsey Smith are rested by the ECB.
The squad is unchanged from the XV that defeated Surrey in the eliminator on Wednesday.
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Georgia Adams Captain (1)
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Abi Norgrove (12)
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Maia Bouchier (14)
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Rhianna Southby † (17)
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Eliza Bristowe (18)
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Pippa Sproul † (7)
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Naomi Dattani (11)
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Francesca Sweet (13)
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Daisy Gibb (15)
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Poppy Tulloch (24)
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Nancy Harman (25)
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Bex Tyson (35)
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Freya Kemp (6)
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Amanda-Jade Wellington (10)
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Ella McCaughan (8)
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The Blaze
Previewed by Jon Culley, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Captain: Kirstie Gordon
Head coach: Craig Cumming
2026 standings: 1st (13 wins, two losses, 61 points)
2026 highest run-scorer: Georgia Elwiss (566)
2026 highest wicket-taker: Charley Phillips (26)
Winter moves: Ireland international all-rounder Orla Prendergast, back for a third spell, will play in April and May and at the backend, with Australian all-rounder Charli Knott available for the three Metro Bank One-Day Cup Women fixtures that coincide with the T20 World Cup. England leg-spinner Sarah Glenn has moved to Yorkshire, with all-rounder Emma Jones joining from Surrey.
The big question: Given the wealth of talent in their squad, The Blaze underachieved in 2025, reaching three semi-finals but losing them all. With the benefit of a full pre-season under Kiwi coach Craig Cumming, they are confident of putting that right this year and, with the World Cup likely to deplete their ranks heavily in mid-summer, the One Day Cup might be their best chance of success. Can they hit the ground running?
Player to watch: Cassidy McCarthy’s T20 form has earned her a £65,000 deal with Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred this summer but she also impressed in the One Day Cup last season with 11 wickets in eight appearances. The 23-year-old right-arm seamer, selected for the England Women Performance Programme over the winter, could make an even bigger impact in this year’s competition.
Final thought: Called the Blaze since 2023, having previously evolved from Loughborough Lightning to Lightning, the Trent Bridge-based team will undergo another rebrand in 2027, coming into line with the rest of the professional women’s teams by adopting a county identity. If they can conjure some success in their final season, going out in a Blaze of glory will be a headline that is hard to resist.
Head-to-Head
Hampshire Women’s record in Metro Bank One-Day Cup matches v The Blaze:
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Played
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Won
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Lost
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Tied
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No Result
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4
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2
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2
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0
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0
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Previous meetings:
- September 9 2026 | Utilita Bowl | Hampshire won by seven wickets (with 61 balls remaining)
- May 15 2026 | Trent Bridge | Blaze won by three wickets (with 29 balls remaining)
- July 30 2025 | Utilita Bowl | Hampshire won by 80 runs
- May 4 2025 | Trent Bridge | Blaze won by seven wickets (with 79 balls remaining)
Ticketing
Tickets for The Blaze v Hampshire Women in the final of the Metro Bank One Day Cup are available by clicking here.
Hampshire Cricket Members and Women’s Season Ticket holders are permitted free entry by scanning their card at the turnstiles.
Coverage
The match will be live streamed on the ECB and Hampshire Cricket’s YouTube channel.
A live match centre with scorecard, statistics, and insight will be available via www.utilitabowl.com/cricket/news.
Fans can stay updated on the match via the Hampshire Cricket X/Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts where regular score updates, photos from the game, and match clips will be shared.
Weather Forecast
Please follow the link to view the latest weather forecast for Utilita Bowl: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2634447.
