Women's Blast Game 11 - Blazing Away!!
By Grockle
July 10 2026
Trent Bridge on a blistering day with a possioble Finals day place in a week's time as the reward for a win. Somerset win the toss and have decdided to bat first. Charlie Dean is back with the squad while her England team-mates take on India at Lord's
Women's Blast Game 10 - v The Blaze @ Trent Bridge Friday 10 July 2026
We welcome Charlie Dean back from England duty for this 'must win' game. If Somerset beat Blaze today and Essex on Sunday, they go to the Finals Friday week. They have won the toss on a very warm day in Nottingham and they have decided to post a score first.
The side is;
Bex Odgers, Sophie Luff (c), Anika Learoyd, Niamh Holland, Alex Griffiths, Charlie Dean, Jess Hazell (wk), Chloe Skelton, Lola Harris, Liv Barnes, Erin Vukusic
Charley Phillips and Grace Ballinger open with the next ball against the Somerset openers and after the first couple, they have 13 for 0. This is the only meeting of these two sides this year and Ballinger gets first blood as she fools Bex Odgers whit a slower ball that the bat spoons up in the middle and Georgia Elwiss takes a diving catch dismissing the Somerset opener at 13 from 11. Out strides Anika Learoyd at number 3. We need a good innings from the bat from New South Wales today at 18 for 1 at the end of the third.
The home side introduce their Aussie off spinner for the fourth as Charli Knott starts her work for the day - she's had a good last couple of games so she is a danger at the start of this game. The Midlanders have had some theory about Sophie as they have imtroduced a slip fielder for the Somerset captain in the early overs. But presently they are introducing spin at both ends as the captain Kirstie Gordon comes on at the Radcliffe Road end. Learoyd gets on strike from a single from Luff and she sweeps the Blaze skipper and then straight drives her for consecutive fours.
But in the over the skipper comes down the middle and hits a ball on the full straight into the hands of Emma Jones coming in from the boundary and she dies for 6 from 12 at 31 for 2 at the end of the fifth. She should have put that one away but she has picked out the fielder and we need Niamh Holland once again to answer the call.
Aussie to Aussie for the last over of the 'Powerplay' as Knott bowls to Learoyd and we move to 37 for 2 in the first phase of the game. Blaze will be happy with that.
Niamh is not going to be the MVP in this game with the bat as she is sent back at the end of the 7th at 42 for 3 with a score of 2 caught by Marie Kelly off the first over of Kathryn Brice. The eigth is delivered by Josie Grove and Learoyd is coming up the pitch to her to impose herself on the bowler. But the legspinner gets the last laugh as she bowls the overseas player around her legs for 23 from 19 at 47 for 4 at the end of the over. This is NOT going to Somerset's plan!!
Dean and Griffiths have a rebuilding job to do with 12 overs to do it in. Gordon is bowling the ninth as the two new partnership have only 1 run between them. The Skipper claims a run out at the bowler's end which the umpire disagrees with and Dean brings up the 50 off ball 4 of the over and that is it 1 over before the turnaround at 10.
Groves continues at the Stuart Broad End and yet again the Somerset bats are up the wicket to the leggie. The halfway point sees Somerset on 58 for 4 with Griffiths on 6 from 7 and Dean on 6 from 6.
Everytime the visitors look to get moving they lose another wicket and at the end of the eleventh from Charley Philips, Alex does not get all of one and Elwiss takes another excellent diving catch coming forward to a shot that is dropping on her. Griffiths goes for 10 at 62 for 5 with 9 overs to go and 3 figures a LOOOONG way away. Jess Hazell is the next bat in.
The new pair look to push this score on and by the end of Groves' 14th,Somerset have moved to 81 for 5 with 11 coming from that one. Dean has 21 from 18 while Hazell has 6 from 8. Skipper Gordon takes the 15th as the bats look to build on a run a ball partnership of 20. The boundaries are not coming but they are looking to run on every shot off the strip. They need to get this score healthily over 100 as although The Blaze are not great chasers this year, a double figure score is not really a task to be honest.
5 overs to go sees the return of Grace Ballinger and Dean sends her second through the covers for four. They take 8 and have 24 balls to add to that as a 3 figure total comes over the horizon. Kathryn Brice also returns with 4 to go and the 100 comes up (101 for 5) as Charlie comes up the wicket and straight drives brice for four. She then sends to next on over the rope as well and then steals the strike at 106 for 5 moving to 41. Lucy Higham comes on for her second from the Broad end. Dean looks to reverse her and the bowlers sees her. Dean looks to go the other way from the second and is out to a catch in the deep by Brice K at 41 from 32. 106 for 6 as Skelton arrives in the middle.
Off spinner to off spinner with the bat having no time to get her eye in. Higham floats one to Hazell who skies the ball to Knott giving Higham the second of her over and Somerset go to 107 for 7. A new partnership again with Barnes joining Chloe with 1 run between them and no time to breath. Higham has 2 for 6 in her 2 overs with 12 balls to go and may have broken the back of this total with not a huge amount of batting to come and the score definitely under par by about 30 runs.
Gordon is reversed by Barnes but it's another dot ball and a frugal over sees Somerset with 6 balls left on 112. Gordon finishes with 1 for 22 from her four and the last over will go to Knott. 4 off the first 3 balls is followed by a dot and then a wicket as Skelton goes up the wicket, misses the ball and is stumped at 116 for 8 for 4 from 7.
Lola Harris is in to face 1 ball, she's up the wicket and lofts it for 2 runs to finishi on 118 for 8 with Barnes on 6 for 6 and Harris on 2 from 1.
That is NOT enough I'm afraid without a phenomenal bowling performance from Somerset. The commentators were hoping for something in the 130/140s so it's at least 20 short and the second half really didin't get off the starting grid really. Ho Hum
The Reply
Welcome back Charlie Dean who opens the bowling for us against Marie Kelly and the keeping Bryce sister, Sarah. Kelly is up the pitch to the second and fires it for four. Kelly looks to reverse the next and Kelly is out LBW for 4 from her 2. 4 for 1 after 3 balls. This brings Kathryn Brice out to bat with her sister to face the England spinner. After a dot there is a wide and then she bowls the new Bryce for 0 from 2. 5 for 2 after one over and the hope has increased a little. Enough? we'll have to wait and see? Griffiths takes the second as Knott comes out at the non strikers end while Bryce takes 9 off the over.
Somerset don't stay with Dean, they go for an over from Skelton instead and they have 25 for 3 by the end of it. The changes continue as Vukusic takes the fourth and it is 33 after 4. Then Dean returnsand after 5 it is 38 for 2.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2026:07:12:18:18:40 by Grockle.
The good news is that Charlie Dean returns to the squad which also includes;
Odgers, Luff, Learoyd, Davis, Hazell, Jones, Holland, Dean Giffiths, Skelton, Barnes, Harris, Vukusic, Anderson
The preview is here
Notts Preview
And the game starts at 14:30 with a livestream online.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2026:07:10:15:20:37 by Grockle.
Onward to the One Day Cup.