Report & Reaction: Surrey v Hampshire Hawks Women, Vitality Blast

Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Phoebe Franklin proved the star turns as Surrey beat league leaders Hampshire by six wickets to land a psychological blow ahead of Friday’s Vitality Blast final’s day. 

MacDonald-Gay’s devastating opening burst of 3-13 helped reduce the visitors to 14-5 before an unbeaten 52 from Abi Norgrove led a recovery of sorts to 132-8. Bethan Miles was also in the wickets with 3-22.

All-rounder Franklin, not long back from long-term injury and playing just as a batter then saw the chase home with an unbeaten 40, this after Laura Harris has struck a typically belligerent 38. Georgia Adams was again the pick of the Hampshire attack with 2-21.

Surrey have struggled in the powerplay on occasions this season, but had Hampshire in disarray early on with MacDonald-Gay the chief destroyer.

The England A speedster forced Ella McCaughan to chop on to the last ball of the opening over and after Miles had skipper Adams caught in the deep MacDonald-Gay struck again when Francesca Sweet edged through to Kira Chathli.

Alice Davidson-Richards then removed Nancy Harman with her first ball and while Naomi Dattani finally registered Hampshire’s first boundary, when she top edged one from MacDonald-Gay to give Chathli a third catch Hampshire were 14-5.

Norgrove, badly dropped at deep square on 5 and then again by Chathli on 14 led the fightback in company with teenage wicketkeeper and Scottish international Pippa Sproul (31), the pair employing the orthodox and reverse sweep to good effect against the spinners in a stand of 67 from 55 balls.

After Sproul holed out on the deep, Amanda-Jade Wellington lent good support with a quick-fire 29 while Norgrove remained to reach 50 in the final over. 

Chasing more than they’d envisaged, Surrey lost in-form skipper Bryony Smith early on, castled by the spin of Bex Tyson, but three boundaries from vice-captain Chathli from the spinner’s next over gave the hosts some momentum. 

Harris, devastating earlier in the week against Warwickshire topped that with four successive fours in the next over bowled by Daisy Gibb, and while she nearly holed out from the final delivery, the hosts had rattled up 59 in the powerplay. 

The leaders refused to go quietly, Wellington removing Chathli to a catch in the deep, while leading wicket-taker in the competition Adams saw the back of Jemima Spence with her first ball to an injudicious reverse sweep.

Adams then trapped Harris lbw to give Hampshire a sniff of an unlikely win, but Franklin struck an effortless straight six and though she was dropped by Tyson, a tough caught and bowled on 21, the all-rounder saw the hosts over the line with 14 balls to spare.