Report & Reaction: Surrey v Hampshire Hawks Women, Vitality T20 County Cup

Stand-in captain Kira Chathli and England’s Alice Capsey lit up Beckenham with 95 and 89 respectively as Surrey posted 237 with Hampshire Hawks falling 57 runs shy of victory, despite a quickfire 59 from Maia Bouchier.

Mary Taylor, playing her first game of the season for Hampshire, claimed 4-26 whilst wickets were shared for the hosts as they restricted the Hawks to 180-9 in the blazing sun.

Having been asked to field on a glorious afternoon at Beckenham, Kira Chathli and Paige Scholfield opened up for the Three Feathers.

Stand-in skipper Chathli wasted no time getting started, hitting Lauren Bell for three consecutive boundaries in the first over.

The Surrey keeper timed the ball beautifully, racing to 21 inside the first three overs before Freya Davies struck to remove Paige Scholfield thanks to some outstanding work behind the stumps from Rhianna Southby.

Chathli continued to score rapidly, piercing the field with ease and getting full value for strokeplay thanks to a lightning quick outfield in south London. 20 runs came from the fifth over off the bowling of Linsey Smith, scoring all around the wicket including some deft reverse-sweeps, as she reached her fifty off just 25 balls.

Surrey finished the powerplay 82/1 with Alice Capsey scooping for four to bring up the fifty partnership – that the England batter had only contributed 5 runs to the partnership was testament to the devastating innings being played at the other end by Chathli.

Capsey was soon firing too, taking 24 runs off five deliveries in the middle overs. Another trio of consecutive boundaries took Chathli into the 90s but she fell five short of a first T20 century, caught at long off by Lauren Bell off the bowling of Mary Taylor.

Taylor struck again three balls later as Emma Jones was caught at long on whilst runs continued to flow at the other end, but the former England Under 19 all-rounder continued to do the damage for Hampshire – Phoebe Franklin also caught by Bell at long off leaving Surrey 167/4 after 13 overs.

Having passed 50 off just 20 deliveries, Capsey continued her destructive form timing the ball sweetly through the offside as well as pulling powerfully when the bowlers strayed legside.

Alice Davidson-Richards brought up Surrey’s 200 with a powerful straight six but fell for an enterprising 23 at the start of the 19th over when Taylor struck again, she was the pick of the bowlers finishing 4-26.

Just 11 runs came from the final two overs as Surrey finished 237/7 - a record for a professional domestic women’s T20 in the UK - with Capsey 89*.

Hampshire Hawks set out needing 11.9 over and were soon putting the Surrey bowlers under pressure reaching 64 without loss off the first four.

Maia Bouchier looked in fine form and was particularly severe on anything legside, striking six fours and four sixes as she brought up her 50 off just 18 deliveries.

Ryana Macdonald-Gay made the breakthrough as Bouchier could only chip a slower ball into the hands of Davidson-Richards at long on.

Alexa Stonehouse struck in the next over as Ella McCaughan was bowled for 14 looking to scoop by a ball that swung out of the hand and clipped the top of leg-stump, Hampshire 79/2 at the end of the powerplay.

Nancy Harman was dismissed for three, tidily stumped off the bowling of Kalea Moore as she looked to keep up with the scoring rate.

Southby was batting nicely and sweetly slog-swept for six to bring up the 100 for the Rose and Crown.

Skipper Georgia Adams started well, hitting back-to-back boundaries off Kalea Moore but a brilliant piece of fielding from Emma Jones on the boundary ran the Hampshire captain out for 17.

Dani Gregory struck twice in the 13th over, first having Abi Norgrove caught for 11 and then trapping Taylor lbw for one, leaving Hants 136/6.

With the run rate continuing to rise Southby’s innings came to an end as she skied a catch to Alice Capsey for 32 off the bowling of Phoebe Franklin before Linsey Smith was smartly stumped off Moore.

Needing 87 off the final four overs, victory was a big ask for the Hampshire tail and the tail were unable to find the boundary regularly enough to threaten the total.

Macdonald-Gay knocked back Lauren Bell’s off-stump in the final over and Surrey secured victory by 87 runs.