Returning victorious from the South West, Surrey return to Beckenham to host The Blaze as they hope to maintain their new form.
Surrey will take on The Blaze at Beckenham tomorrow with play with commence at 10.30am.
Surrey Squad
Bethan Miles, Priyanaz Chatterji and Emma Jones come into the squad as options for selection.
Skipper Bryony Smith misses out due to a muscle strain, and all-rounder Alice Monaghan is unavailable due a thumb injury picked up in Sunday’s game at Somerset.
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 Beckenham, 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
Surrey return home after a back-to-back away games, having won their last game match at Somerset.
Surrey secured their most convincing win of the season, leaving Somerset with bonus points in hand. Despite losing the toss, Surrey were sent in to bat on what appeared to be a promising day. Captain Bryony Smith made the most of the conditions, reaching a well-earned century before rain interrupted play. Weather had played a decisive role in the last meeting between these two sides, tipping the balance away from Surrey — but not this time. Powered by Smith’s momentum and a 134-run partnership with Sophia Dunkley, Surrey posted a total of 306. The DLS method revised Somerset’s target to 317.
Having been in similar positions all season, Surrey’s change of bowling line-up provided a new avenue for success. Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Alexa Stonehouse offered Somerset enough frustration that they finished the powerplay 46-1, well below the required run rate for such a high chase.
Stonehouse made a strong debut, collecting two wickets with her left-arm seam and bringing valuable variation to Surrey’s attack. The tone was set early with another brilliant delivery from MacDonald-Gay to remove Emma Corney, and from there, Surrey piled on the pressure with the ball. Some excellent fielding and a fortunate run-out of Heather Knight at the non-strikers end kept the visiting team on top throughout as Somerset were bowled out for 215 in the 41st over.
The Blaze
Previewed by Jon Culley – ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
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.
