Bryony Smith’s Surrey have enjoyed a stellar start to life in the Three Feathers and at the Kia Oval, stamping their authority with a bold brand of cricket and making winning a happy habit.
They have stormed through straight to the final in the inaugural Women’s Vitality Blast, collecting 11 wins and losing just once in 14 group games, earning a shot to lift the trophy in front of their home crowd this Sunday.
From start to end, Surrey’s T20 campaign has been filled with brilliant moments, not devoid of big scores or last-ball thrillers. Throughout the season, players across the board have stepped up on different occasions. That five batters have scored over 200 runs, and seven bowlers have claimed eight or more wickets, reflects why the Three Feathers finished at top of the table.
Inevitably, there have been many performances to savour and cherish throughout the summer, including:
Scholfield’s match-winning six against Lancashire
Away in Manchester, Surrey were chasing a DLS target of 86 in an 11-over contest, cut short due to rain before the start of the match, and had fallen behind the rate following a fightback inspired by Lancashire’s Tara Norris and Alana King.
The Three Feathers had lost four wickets in the previous three overs, having made a fast start to their innings, when Emma Jones joined Paige Scholfield, with Surrey on 53/4 after seven overs and a run behind the DLS par score.
The state of the game meant that Scholfield, who had been trying to re-energise Surrey’s chase but kept losing partners at the other end, had to worry not only about the scoreboard but also the ominous overhead clouds that were getting darker by the minute.
As off-spinner Darcy Carter strolled forward to start the eighth over, rain had begun to fall but wasn’t yet heavy enough to take the players off the field. Under pressure to jump over the required rate before it was too late, Scholfield made some room for herself and unleashed a stunning inside-out lofted drive, against the spin, for a six.
Four balls later, the heavens opened, and the two sides ran off, with Surrey sealing a tense win by just two runs.
Paige Scholfield comes clutch to maintain Surrey’s unbeaten start to their campaign. 👊
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) June 7, 2025
The story of those tense closing moments ⬇️
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Wyatt-Hodge lighting up the Kia Oval
If the previous evening in Manchester went down to the wire, the following afternoon, with Surrey back to the comforts of home, was as smooth as one could ask for. They cruised to a fourth victory on the bounce, beating Durham by nine wickets and bagging a bonus point.
Once the bowlers had limited Durham to 141/5 at the Kia Oval, Danni Wyatt-Hodge took over as the lead pilot and flew her side home with a masterful 74 not out off 36 balls.
With cut shots peppered past point, inside outs launched over cover, and slog sweeps shooting above cow corner, it was astonishing T20 batting, a knock that would be hard to forget for those who had the privilege of witnessing.
Given the terrific form in which England women’s leading T20 scorer has been throughout the summer, it is no wonder that Wyatt-Hodge is Surrey’s top run-getter of the competition with 372 at an impressive average of 62 and an equally excellent strike rate of just above 158.
Scholfield and Davidson-Richards acing the chase in Southampton
There might have been a few nerves jangling in the dressing room and among those watching along on TV with their Surrey hats on, but the pair of Paige Scholfield and Alice Davidson-Richards, in the middle, on the job, were cool as a cucumber and had their eyes only on the prize.
Asked to chase 156 by Hampshire Hawks, Surrey started with a stutter but soon were in the driver’s seat, courtesy of Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s sparkling 65. The game had further twists in it as Mary Taylor fetched a double breakthrough for the hosts, removing the dangerous Wyatt-Hodge and Grace Harris in a single over.
That brought Scholfield (30*) and Davidson-Richards (23*) to the crease for the sixth wicket, with the Three Feathers in need of a rebuild, still 50 runs away off the remaining 38 balls. Two of the more experienced batters in the lineup, the duo timed the chase to perfection, taking the game deep, needing 18 runs from two overs and 11 off the last over.
Georgia Adams did well to keep it to just four from the first three deliveries, which landed in or around the block hole. Pressure mounting, ADR drilled one through the covers for a boundary, bringing the equation down to three from two balls before taking a single off the next ball.
Two required off the final delivery, Scholfield danced down the track, Adams pushed it wider, but the Surrey batter had the skill and balance to realign her position, squeezing a square drive through point and collecting the winning runs in a thrilling contest.
Pressure? What pressure.
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) June 17, 2025
Paige Scholfield is CLUTCH. 😮💨
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