Surrey are back home and take on Essex aiming to return to form in the Women’s Metro Bank One Day Cup.
After three games on the road, the team are back in south London, play will begin at 10.30am.
Surrey currently sit in third position in the table, with Essex 2 places below in fifth.
How can I keep up with play?
The match will be broadcast live on Surrey’s YouTube channel. A link will be made available in the Kia Oval Match Day Centre and across Surrey’s social media channels.
Match highlights will be available after the close of play on Surrey’s YouTube channel.
Squad News
Danni Wyatt-Hodge returns to the squad and Alice Davidson-Richards will skipper the side in the absence of Kia Chathli who is with the England ODI squad.
Tilly Corteen-Coleman and Alice Capsey are also away with England, whilst Sophia Dunkley is not available for this fixture as she is managing a minor knee niggle.
Last Time Out
Surrey will be keen to rediscover their early-season form after slipping to a third consecutive defeat, going down by five wickets to The Blaze at Trent Bridge in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
Batting first on a grey, floodlit morning, Surrey made a positive start but failed to build momentum as early wickets triggered a sharp collapse. After progressing to 19 without loss, Paige Scholfield and Alice Monaghan both fell cheaply before Kirstie Gordon ripped through the middle order with three wickets in rapid succession. Reduced to 57 for five, Surrey were forced into recovery mode.
Priyanaz Chatterji led the resistance with a composed 45 from 68 balls, while Kira Chathli offered support in a watchful partnership, but Surrey never fully escaped the early damage. A series of lbw dismissals and disciplined bowling meant the innings closed on 164, with more than seven overs unused — a total that felt below par.
Surrey’s bowlers responded with real intent. Three wickets inside the first five overs put The Blaze firmly under pressure, and further strikes left the hosts wobbling at 61 for five. However, the lack of runs to defend ultimately told, as Georgia Elwiss and Emma Jones shepherded The Blaze home with an unbroken sixth-wicket stand.
ESSEX
Captain: Grace Scrivens
Head coach: Stephen Parry
2025 finish: 8th
2025 highest run-scorer: Grace Scrivens (429)
2025 highest wicket-taker: Eva Gray (15)
Winter moves: Former Lancashire and England spinner Stephen Parry has taken over as head coach following Andy Tennant’s exit, with Nick Browne, who recently brought down the curtain on his 13-year stint as a top-order batter for Essex’s men, filling the role of batting coach. On the field, batter Liberty Heap completed her permanent move from Lancashire, while former Essex captain Kelly Castle was released along with Maddie Blinkhorn-Jones.
The big question: In a nutshell, can Browne’s input and experience coax more consistency with the bat from an Essex side who topped 250 just once in last year’s tournament? Grace Scrivens hit back-to-back hundreds at the top of the order, but Jodi Grewcock was the only other batter to pass 50 more than once and Essex must at least ensure they bat out their full allocation of overs more frequently.
Player to watch: The move to Chelmsford may turn out to be just what Liberty Heap needed to reignite her career. Having shown potential with the bat as an England Under-19 player a few years ago, the 22-year-old had stalled at Lancashire, but she made a promising start after joining Essex on loan at the back end of last season, hitting 33 from 37 balls against The Blaze.
Final thought: After finishing bottom of the table in their inaugural season, the only way is up for Essex. However, one of their two group successes was achieved against eventual champions Lancashire, suggesting there’s plenty of potential to do better under a revamped coaching set-up. Essex may also have to find ways of coping without the influential Scrivens if, and more likely when, she graduates to the England side.
Previewed by Ben Kosky, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
