Surrey return to the Kia Oval to host Durham on Sunday. The two teams meet for the first time since Surrey dominated in the Vitality County Cup semi-final.
Surrey will host Durham at the Kia Oval this Sunday where play will begin at 2pm in their first standalone T20 fixture of the Vitality Blast.
Thatchers guess the score!
Surrey County Cricket Club and Thatchers are giving one lucky winner the chance to win a case of twenty-four 440ml cans of Thatchers Gold or Thatchers Zero by trying to correctly predicting how many runs Surrey will score, or being the closest to it, in a home T20 Vitality Blast match at the Kia Oval.
Surrey Squad
Alice Davidson-Richards is back from England duties and Tash Farrant returns from rest as two new additions to today’s 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 the Kia Oval, 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
The last time Surrey and Durham came head to head, Surrey emerged dominant posting 194/4 before bowling Durham all out for 122.
The stand out moment of the batting innings came from Emma Jones’ 88* from 49 balls. After the fall of two early wickets, Jones steadied the run rate before striking hard in the latter end of the innings and taking Durham’s Sophia Turner for 6 over cow corner.
Surrey’s bowling innings started with similar excitement with Alice Davidson-Richards running Bess Heath out at the non-strikers end with pin point accuracy from mid-on.
The second innings centred around runouts with top fielding on the boundary ropes from Kalea Moore as she claimed two more before the rest of the bowling attack finished off Durham’s batting attack and claimed the win.
Durham
Previewed by Graham Hardcastle, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Captain: Hollie Armitage
Overseas player: Suzie Bates (New Zealand, full competition)
Key winter moves: Durham have signed a plethora of eye-catching talent, some young, some experienced. England stars Hollie Armitage, Lauren Filer, Bess Heath and Mady Villiers are chief amongst them. New Zealand batting legend Suzie Bates will be key to their hopes of success. Given the importance of quality spin in T20 cricket, the presence of gun leg-spinner Katie Levick in Durham’s line-up may be most telling.
The big question: It’s been an inconsistent start to the summer for Durham in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, winning three of eight matches. Perhaps that’s understandable given this was a newly assembled squad for 2025. But, a couple of months down the line, can they kick on in the Blast and challenge the competition favourites such as The Blaze and Lancashire Thunder?
Wildcard watch: Grace Thompson. The 17-year-old fast bowler has all the attributes to be a future star for Durham and England. Tall, pacy, accurate and with, seemingly, a good temperament. Think Lauren Bell, and you won’t be a million miles off if you haven’t seen her. Amazing Grace? Quite possibly. If Thompson gets it right in the Blast, she will be hot property.
Final thought: The next couple of months are key for the progression of women’s cricket in Durham. With the likelihood of bigger crowds for Blast fixtures than 50-over matches at the Banks Homes Riverside, this is a great opportunity for this new professional side to really build a connection with cricket lovers, especially children, in the North East. Silverware is important, of course it is. But there’s somewhat of a bigger picture at play in this summer’s Blast for Durham Cricket.
