Vitality Blast Women’s Finals Day
Friday 17 July
Semi-Final 1 - Surrey v The Blaze (11am start)
Semi-Final 2 - Hampshire Hawks v Durham (2:30pm start)
The Final (6:45pm start)
The Kia Oval
Hawks Women head to the Kia Oval for the first-ever Vitality Blast Finals Day.
The team topped the group stage having won eight out of their 12 matches, of which four came with a bonus point.
Their previous match came at the Oval against Surrey, but it ended up in defeat despite Abi Norgrove’s first fifty for the Hawks as she rescued the side after a dominant opening salvo from the Surrey bowling attack.
The Hawks face Durham in the second semi-final at 2:30pm, with the winner going on to play either Surrey or The Blaze in the final at 6:45pm.
Durham were defeated by bottom-of-the-table Lancashire Lightning in their last group match, and lost to the Hawks earlier in the season at Utilita Bowl. However, the north east outfit did win the opening T20 clash between the two sides at Chester-le-Street back in May.
Hampshire Hawks
Hawks Women have named a 17-player squad for their Vitality Blast match against Surrey.
Maia Bouchier returns from England duty following the Test match against India at Lord’s, the first women’s Test to be held at the Home of Cricket.
Rhianna Southby returns following a thumb strain she picked up against Warwickshire Bears.
Megan Sturge is also available following her success on loan to Glamorgan, who won the Vitality Blast Women’s League Two.
Georgia Adams Captain (1) | Nancy Harman (25) | Megan Sturge (3) |
Maia Bouchier (14) | Ava Lee (33) | Francesca Sweet (13) |
Eliza Bristowe (18) | Ella McCaughan (8) | Poppy Tulloch (24) |
Naomi Dattani (11) | Abi Norgrove (12) | Bex Tyson (35) |
Daisy Gibb (15) | Rhianna Southby † (17) | Amanda-Jade Wellington (10) |
Hannah Hardwick (19) | Pippa Sproul † (7) |
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Semi-Final Opponents
Durham
Previewed by Graham Hardcastle, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Captain: Hollie Armitage
Overseas player: Heather Graham (Australia, all)
2026 group finish: 4th
2026 leading run-scorer: Hollie Armitage (398)
2026 leading wicket-taker: Heather Graham (18)
Key winter moves: Australian all-rounder Heather Graham has been signed to replace veteran New Zealander Suzie Bates, who was unable to return to the North East because of T20 World Cup duty. Graham has spent the last two seasons as an overseas player with The Blaze. She was a Charlotte Edwards T20 Cup winner in 2025 and a Blast semi-finalist last summer.
The big question: Can Durham kick on from last year’s mid-table, group stage finish? Only five wins from 14 matches last term left them short of a Finals Day appearance by a good distance. Two fewer games this season, they must target at least six wins to have a chance of a top-four finish for a 17 July trip to the Kia Oval.
Wildcard watch: Sophia Turner. Spinners Katie Levick (13 wickets) and Mady Villiers (11) led the way with the ball for Durham in last season’s Blast, but skilful Sophia Turner – aged 23 – was their most prolific seamer with 10. She struck in six of her last seven Blast games in 2025, the other being a No Result. She is used more late in an innings by Hollie Armitage.
Final thought: Hollie Armitage and Bess Heath will be hoping they can transfer that winning feeling from last year’s Hundred with the Northern Superchargers through to their county. The knowledge they gained from that can only help the younger players in Durham’s squad. The loss of director of cricket Marcus North to England as the new men’s national selector within sight of the competition starting is not ideal, but the bulk of the preparation for this campaign will be done now.
Head-to-Head:
Hampshire Hawks Women’s record in T20 matches v Durham:
Played | Won | Tied | Lost | No Result |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Recent meetings:
- June 28 2026 | Utilita Bowl | Hawks won by eight wickets (with 19 balls remaining)
- May 24 2026 | Banks Homes Riverside, Chester-le-Street | Durham won by 32 runs
- July 11 2025 | Banks Homes Riverside, Chester-le-Street | Durham won by five wickets (with 28 balls remaining)
- June 7 2025 | Arundel Castle | Durham won by one run (DLS method)
Potential Finalists
Surrey
Captain: Bryony Smith
Overseas players: Laura Harris (Australia, all)
2026 group finish: 2nd
2026 leading run-scorer: Bryony Smith (347)
2026 leading wicket-taker: Ryana Macdonald-Gay (17)
Key winter moves: Laura Harris has arrived as the overseas star to fill the void left by her younger sister Grace, who was a huge hit last year. Emma Jones has left for The Blaze while Alexa Stonehouse is on loan at Warwickshire and Tash Farrant has retired. Rachel King and Emily Burke (academy) have joined the squad.
The big question: Surrey are victims of their own success in many ways with four players named in the England squad for the T20 World Cup (more than any other county) and Priyanaz Chatterji called up for Scotland. How will they compensate for the loss of three of their top six and the spin wizardry of Tilly Corteen-Coleman? Opportunity certainly knocks for others.
Wildcard watch: Alice Monaghan – all-rounder Monaghan was just finding her way into the team during last season’s tournament but appears much more of a fixture now. A more than useful seamer, Monaghan will also be needed to fill one of the voids in the top order, and she’s also shown herself to be one of the team’s top fielders.
Final thought: Surrey carried an aura of invincibility in last year’s tournament but look more vulnerable now. Laura Harris doesn’t have the all-round versatility of sister Grace, but boasted a strike-rate of 207 last year. Two players conspicuous by their absence so far this season may be crucial to hopes of repeat success. Ryana MacDonald-Gay, leading wicket-taker in 2025, has been out injured while Phoebe Franklin – a candidate for player of the tournament last season – hasn’t featured for reasons unknown.
Head-to-Head:
Hampshire Hawks Women’s record in T20 matches v Surrey:
Played | Won | Tied | Lost | No Result |
5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
Recent meetings:
- July 12 2026 | Kia Oval | Surrey won by six wickets (with 14 balls remaining)
- May 29 2026 | Utilita Bowl | Match Tied
- June 17 2025 | Utilita Bowl | Surrey won by five wickets (with 0 balls remaining)
- June 5 2025 | Kia Oval | Surrey won by 32 runs
- May 17 2025 | Beckenham | Surrey won by 57 runs
The Blaze
Previewed by Jon Culley, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Captain: Kirstie Gordon
Overseas players: Charli Knott (Australia, all)
2026 group finish: 3rd
2026 leading run-scorer: Charli Knott (383)
2026 leading wicket-taker: Charli Knott (21)
Key winter moves: The Blaze have signed talented Australia A all-rounder Charli Knott, who brings experience of the Women’s Premier League in India, the Women’s Big Bash and The Hundred, and hit five white-ball half-centuries for Hampshire Women last summer. Meanwhile, Emma Jones, formerly with Surrey, can provide useful runs in the middle order.
The big question: The Blaze, like others, will be depleted because of the clash with the Women’s T20 World Cup. They lose England’s Amy Jones and Nat Sciver-Brunt and Ireland’s Orla Prendergast, although it may be the unavailability of their three Scots, Kathryn and Sarah Bryce and Blaze skipper Kirstie Gordon, that is the most keenly felt. Can those left step up a level?
Wildcard watch: United States international Ella Claridge, whose country missed out on qualification for the T20 World Cup, has a chance to make her presence felt in the Vitality Blast. The 24-year-old wicketkeeper batter will carry some responsibility in the absence of Scotland’s Sarah Bryce and England’s Amy Jones but has proved before that she can rise to the challenge under pressure.
Final thought: Even stripped of six internationals, The Blaze still have the capacity to mount a challenge for silverware. Marie Kelly, a very capable top-order batter and excellent fielder, will captain the side, with experienced England batter Tammy Beaumont as a sounding board as well as a key source of runs. Charley Phillips, Grace Ballinger and Cassidy McCarthy are three top-notch seamers, while former England all-rounder Georgia Elwiss has enjoyed a couple of outstanding seasons with bat and ball.
Head-to-Head:
Hampshire Hawks Women’s record in T20 matches v The Blaze:
Played | Won | Tied | Lost | No Result |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Recent meetings:
- July 8 2026 | Utilita Bowl | Hawks won by 23 runs
- July 18 2025 | Utilita Bowl | The Blaze won by 27 runs
- July 4 2025 | Queen’s Park, Chesterfield | The Blaze won by 37 runs
Tickets
Vitality Blast Women’s Finals Day tickets at the Kia Oval are available here.
Coverage
Vitality Blast Women’s Finals Day will be televised on Sky Sports.
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 and photos from the day will be shared.
Weather Forecast
Please follow the link to view the latest weather forecast for the Kia Oval: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/6690601.
