Report & Reaction: Hampshire Hawks Women v The Blaze, Vitality Blast

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Georgia Elwiss returned to Utilita Bowl to place a perfect anchoring fifty and give The Blaze the ideal springboard ahead of the Vitality Blast Women's Finals Day.

All-rounder Elwiss spent the last four years at the Bowl-based Southern Vipers before moving to The Blaze in the winter – and scored 53 not out, having batted the whole innings.

She had put on 102 and 49 with fellow fifty-maker Marie Kelly and Kathryn Bryce as Hampshire Hawks were set 164.

Cassidy McCarthy took one for five in her three powerplay overs (ending with one for 15) to stifle Hawks to a position they couldn’t recover – eventually reaching just 137 to lose by 27 runs, despite fifties for Rhianna Southby and Georgia Adams.

The Blaze had already qualified for The Kia Oval showpiece on Sunday 27 July, where they will face Bears at 12:30pm, with Surrey waiting in the final.

The Blaze were inserted on a pitch used for the 1st MetroBank ODI against India, and proceeded to rack up the runs.

Marie Kelly’s Blast had been besieged by starts, and a pair of 40s. Here she took control of the powerplay with five boundaries – with The Blaze racing to 56 without loss.

Kelly then took Adams for 14 runs and Mary Taylor for 11 to reach her fifty in 36 balls.

But she departed when she scooped to short third for 57 – after an opening stand of 102 – but Kathryn Bryce continued where she left off to combine 49 with Elwiss.

None of the visiting batters took undue risks as they simply totted up the runs in a straightforward manner.

Kathryn Bryce was lbw to Adams, and Ellyse Perry dismissed Sarah Bryce and Heather Graham in successive balls to end the penultimate over, but it couldn’t stop a tricky total being reached.

Elwiss, who played 70 times for Southern Vipers, reached her fifth half-century of the competition in a patient 43 balls to become the fifth highest scorer in the Blast.

Despite Ella Claridge getting stumped in the last over, The Blaze posted 164 – which looked an even better score after internationals Perry and Freya Kemp had been and gone by the end of the third over.

Both Kathryn Bryce and McCarthy found excellent movement with the new ball, with the former dislodging a scooping Perry and the latter getting Kemp caught behind.

Southby and Adams struggled to recover the rate, as they got stuck in a rhythm of singles, as boundaries became a rare commodity and twos rarer still.

They put on 105 in 90 balls – with Southby’s 50 coming in 42 balls and Adams’ in 45.

When Adams was caught for 57 there was still 47 required from two overs, but it was never on, with Southby run out for 61.