Women Metro50 - Warwickshire away

After the disappointment of the loss to Essex at Taunton Vale in the week Somerset pop to Edgbaston to see how they can bounce back against the women of Brum!!

Womens Metro50 v Warwickshire @ Edgbaston - Saturday 2 May 2026

From elation against Surrey last week to disappointment against Essex midweek, it's been an interesting 7 days for Somerset.  They travel to Edgbaston to see if they can get back to winning ways today.

The side for today's game is;

Odgers, Holland, Learoyd, Luff, Hazell, Jones Griffiths, Skelton, Anderson, Harris, Barnes

Some good batting 50s from the midweek match will help the confidence but the batting side of the game will have to wait as Warwickshire have won the toss and opted to take to the crease first. All the England players are with the Army today so no domestic internationals today - no one seems to know why they have set it up to clash with domestic fixtures but... England huh?

Anderson and Griffiths open the bowling but it is Chloe Skelton who piounces first when the attack changes in the 7th over with the home side on 40.  Skelton has Surenkumar caught by Learoyd for 10 and then in her next over gets a succesful LBW shout against Austin who goes for a run a ball 9 4 runs after Warwickshire pass the 50 run mark.

Alex Griffiths then returns to the attack and is the next Somerset bowler is the wixckets as she removes George who works really hard to smack the ball straight to Bex Odgers in the covers at 75 for 3 in the 14th.  She really had to work at mistiming that one.  Alex then removes the important one as she has the dangerous Perrin caught behind by Jones (who has taken the gloves from Jess Hazell for this game) for a significant 45 runs from 40 balls one run larter at 74 for 4.

The 'Brummies' pass 100 in the 18th over from Skelton  Wraith and Pavely are looking to rebuild this innings as the reach the end of the over at 102 for 4.  Skelton returns as they move to 119 when she has Brewer caught behind for her third and Somerset's 5th.

Lola Harris is the next to have a chance as Caris Pavely on 34 is dropped by Sophie Luff at 124 for 5.  It seems it was more a defensive attempt because it was hit very hard.  However, it goes down as a chance in the 23rd over.

After the drinks break at the halfway stage, Warwickshire pass 150 off Niamh Holland with a four from Pavely moving into the 40s and Wraith looking to move past 20.

Pavely on 49 is conscious of the score and takes a quick single to get to 50.  Unfortunately Wraith is ball watching with her back to her partner and is only aware as Pavely passes her, by the time she has turned and is making her way to the other end, Jones has the ball in her hands and runs her out for 18 at 157 for 6 off the bowling of Holland.

Pavely goes to 50 from 47 balls with 8 fours at 168 for 6 in the 29th over and she continues with Taylor to build a partnership.  When Olivia Barnes comes into the attack in the mid 30's the home side are looking at 200 which arrives in the 25th with Taylor on 25 and Pavely on 63. Liv gets her own back when she bowls Taylor for 30 off 35 at 215 for 7 in the 37th.  

This brings Stonehouse into the game as Alex Griffiths is back for a third spell.  By the 40th over they have moved past 250  and with 8 overs to go, Stonehouse has moved into the 20s while Pavely is in the 90's and she goes to 100 at 271 from 90 balls.  There's a problem now that the visitors are struggling to hold the bats with one at 100+ and only bowlers left who have gone for over 5 an over.  The bowlers struggling are Holland,Barnes and what is left of Skelton and Griffiths so at 277 with 5 to go, Somerset need 3 wickets to stop this.  

Sophie Luff has been off the field for most of the second half of this innings.  Hopefully that is safeguarding her for batting though she may not come in when expected.  

Chloe Skelton sees Warwickshire go to 300 in her last over (the 47th) with Pavely still going strong and Stonehouse supporting strongly.  She goes to 50 (32 balls) off Holland.  They end on 336 as Chloe Skelton has Pavely finally stumped for and excellent 127 from 103 in the 37.  Then Jones stumps Baker and Davis in the next over off Barnes.  Warwickshire have the highest score against the Somerset professional side in a 50 over EVER

A very big ask for the Somerset women who may well be without Sophie Luff due to injury as well.  They need 337 which is very much more than they expected to be chasing thanks to the work of Pavely and the end 58 from Stonehouse.  Without the control of Charlie Dean and the batting of Heather Knight it is looking a tall order and Somerset have still toprove that they can stay in touch with this division when their England players are unavailable.

Out come Bex Odgers and Ruby Davis (a sub for Sophie Luff I'd assume) open against Mary Taylor and Stonehouse.  Ruby is not there for long as she slaps one to Pavely from Stonehouse at 17 for 1.  She goes for 8 from 9 in the 4th over.  This brings in Learoyd to be asked the first big question of her time with the Westy Country side.  Can she provide the backbone of a chase here?  She looks good as they move to 38 for 1 before Taylor bowls Odgers playing on for 19 from 17.  She looked in control but it can always happen.  In comes Niamh Holland in the 7th.

Together the pair take the score past the first target of 50 in the 9th off Taylor.  It goes well until the Warks skipper Georgia Davis comes on in the 12th and she tempts Anika down the pitch to a delivery she misses and she is stumped for 21 at 77 for 3 and the pressure increases.

Jess Hazell arrives at the crease and the new pair look to move the score past 3 figures as their first objective. They manage that with a Hazell boundary off Davis in the 18th.  The partnership continues to build and in the 24th Holland ramps Sarenkumar to bring up her own 50 from 54 balls at 129 for 3.  They bring up the 150 in the 26th off the same bowler with a solid straight driven four from Jess Hazell to take her to 21 from 41 with her partner on 62 from 61.  This is becoming a decent base for those coming after if they can keep it going.

However Pavely is all over this game and she gets Holland for a run a ball 65 LBW at 155 for 4.  In comes Katie Jones and that may be the turning point in this chase.  The new pair look to make light of the damage and move the score on with Hazell now taking the lead role.  That continues until that woman Pavely strikes again, sending Jess on her way at 185 for 5 for 45 in the 32nd over and the task becomes even more difficult as Alex Griffiths comes out to be part of the next pairing.

Stonehouse is back in as Pavely bowls out and it is her who is bowling as Somerset move past 200 in the 35th.  Unfortunately Jones goes from the last ball of the 37th at 221 for 6 being caught by a Taylor (probably a sub version - Millie?) in the deep going for one.  She leaves with 25 from 22 and with her departure the job just keeps getting harder as they still need 116 runs to win with not much over 10 overs left to get them and Chloe Skelton coming to the crease. 

Alex looks to push it on and tries too hard at 240 and she is caught at 27 by Stonehouse from Taylor.  That is pretty much it I would say in the 41st over.  Ellie Anderson comes in and the Somerset duo do move it past 250.  However Anderson's time is short as Davis bowls and Ellis (sub) catches her for 11 at 261 for 7.

The next bat is Harris and Baker gets her name in the wickets column as Lola skies it and is caught and bowled at 264 for 9 and Warks are looking at the bonus point if they get the last wicket at 269.  They deny that and Chloe Skelton refuses to lile down easily as they move past 45 overs. she continues to bat sensible as Olivia Barnes supports by getting her on strike.

She brings up her own 50 (51 off 40 balls) and the Somerset 300 in the 50th over.  Barnes has 6 as Skelton holes out to one of the Taylors from the bowling of Stonehouse and they lose by 35 runs.

Close but again 'no cigar'.  Sophie may have had asay but once they had to chase over 300 one wondered if it was beyond them.  The second loss in the second game without their England trio and there is still some work to be done by this group though they are getting much closer in these games than they were last year.  So they have won some and they aren't that far off when it goes against them.  Progress?