Surrey have qualified for the Vitality County Cup finals day and will travel to Taunton to face Warwickshire Bears in the semi-final of the tournament.
Surrey will play Warwickshire Bears at the Cooper Associates County Ground in the semi-final of the County Cup where play will begin at 11am. If successful in qualifying for the final, Surrey will take on either The Blaze or Lancashire who play after Surrey in the second semi final.
Surrey Squad
Paige Scholfield returns to the squad for tomorrow’s finals day after being released from the England Squad. She is the only addition to Friday’s winning squad.
How can I keep up with play?
The match will be broadcast live on Surrey’s YouTube channel, with a link posted on the Surrey Match Centre and social media channels.
Surrey Cricket’s social media channels will provide live updates from Somerset, with clips and highlights posted throughout the day. A written report and highlights will be available at the end of each day’s play.
Last time out
Beginning their campaign against Hampshire Hawks, Surrey’s Kira Chathli made her highest professional score of 95 off just 47 balls, with 82 of her runs coming in boundaries. Thanks to strong performances with the bat and ball, Surrey raced to victory by 57 runs after Hampshire fell short of the 237-run target.
Surrey continued their strong form when they hosted Durham on Friday, ending the visitors’ chances of qualifying by bowling them out 72 runs short. Emma Jones gave a player of the match performance, hitting her maiden Surrey 50 off 34 balls before finishing 88* off just 49 balls. Surrey dominated, taking every opportunity in the field to take all ten wickets, three of which were run outs.
Surrey are showing depth and variation in their squad, with each performance headlined by a different player. This bodes well going into Finals Day, where, if successful, they will face either The Blaze or Lancashire, two formidable sides.
WARWICKSHIRE
Captain: Georgia Davis
Head Coach: Ali Maiden
The big question: There is a tangible excitement around Edgbaston at the full integration of the women’s team into the county set up. Now can the players deal with the element of pressure that comes with expectation – and serious investment by the club – and deliver success?
Player to watch: Georgia Davis. Off-spinner Davis has thoroughly vindicated her decision to quit the police for full-time cricket by rising into the England set-up. Just back from an England A tour to Australia, Birmingham-born Davis will be looking to captain her beloved Warwickshire to success and pile up wickets to advance her international career.
Young gun: Davina Perrin. Warwickshire will look to 18-year-old Perrin for big runs at the top of the order. The Wolverhampton-born batter is an exciting stroke-player and will take confidence from her productive England U19s World Cup campaign in Malaysia in January which earned her a late call up for the A Tour to Australia.
Final thought: Edgbaston has a big place in the history of women’s cricket and all at the club would love the women’s team to add to that by hitting the ground running. There is talent in the squad and much experience in the coaching set up with Ali Maiden (Head Coach), Darren Franklin (Assistant Coach) and Kabir Ali (Bowling Coach). A new chapter beckons: Bring it on!
Squad: Georgia Davis (Captain), Meg Austin, Em Arlott, Chloe Brewer, Hannah Baker, Bethan Ellis, Abbey Freeborn, Katie George, Hannah Hardwick, Charis Pavely, Davina Perrin, Amu Surenkumar, Millie Taylor, Issy Wong, Nat Wraith.
Potential Finalists
LANCASHIRE
Captain: Ellie Threlkeld
Head Coach: Chris Read
The big questions: Will this be Lancashire’s year? They only progressed beyond the group stages of both 50-over and T20 cricket once combined in five years of regional cricket. But confidence is high that, following a winter’s work and some key signings, they can make their mark immediately on English domestic cricket’s new era.
Player to watch: Lancashire have signed two players from Central Sparks, or Warwickshire as they are now. First up, linchpin top order batter Eve Jones. If the experienced left-hander maintains her recent domestic form, Ellie Threlkeld’s side will have a great chance of success. There won’t be many better players without senior England recognition than Jones.
Young gun: Fast bowler Grace Potts has made the same journey from the West Midlands. She is on the verge of senior England honours having toured South Africa with them before Christmas. A sparkling summer will give the 22-year-old a great chance of debuting under new national coach Charlotte Edwards.
Final thought: Lancashire’s squad on paper is better than previous results have suggested. If their England stars Kate Cross and Sophie Ecclestone play a good number of games, that will be a huge boost. Big impacts from fringe internationals Mahika Gaur, Emma Lamb and Seren Smale will also go a long way. Australian batter Katie Mack and compatriot leg-spinner Alana King will share overseas duties during the first half of 2025.
Squad: Ellie Threlkeld (captain), Olivia Bell, Alice Clarke, Danielle Collins, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Mahika Gaur, Phoebe Graham, Liberty Heap, Hannah Jones, Alana King, Emma Lamb, Ailsa Lister, Katie Mack, Fi Morris, Sophie Morris, Tara Norris, Hannah Rainey, Seren Smale.
THE BLAZE
Captain: Kirstie Gordon
Head Coach: Craig Cumming
The big questions: After winning their first trophy in the 2024 Charlotte Edwards Cup, how will The Blaze fare now that head coach Chris Guest has left to lead England’s Under-19s Women? Can successor Craig Cumming, the ex-New Zealand Test batter, duplicate his success with Otago Sparks after two domestic 50-over titles in three years?
Player to watch: The return of former Loughborough Lightning captain Georgia Elwiss to the East Midlands after four trophy-laden seasons with Southern Vipers adds proven experience and availability to The Blaze squad. The 33-year-old former England all-rounder’s 2024 campaign was among the best of her career, including 488 runs at 69.71 in the 50-over competition.
Young gun: Josie Groves has taken 20 List A wickets in the past two seasons yet the leg spinner has only just turned 20 and is still looking to realise her full potential both as a bowler and batter. An Under-19s World Cup finalist, she is likely to have a big part to play this season.
Final thought: Last year’s 20-over champions and 50-over finalists two years ago, The Blaze have added a fourth current England player in Amy Jones to the squad with all-rounders Orla Prendergast (Ireland) and Heather Graham (Australia) sharing overseas duties. Stung by failing to make the knock-out stage in last season’s 50-over competition, they will be eager to put that right.
Squad: Kirstie Gordon (captain), Grace Ballinger, Sarah Glenn, Georgie Boyce, Josie Groves, Cassidy McCarthy, Lucy Higham, Sarah Bryce, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Tammy Beaumont, Kathryn Bryce, Prisha Thanawala, Charley Phillips, Marie Kelly, Michaela Kirk, Ella Claridge, Georgia Elwiss, Amy Jones, Olivia Baker, Amy Wheeler, Scarlett Hughes, Heather Graham, Orla Prendergast.
