Surrey head to Trent Bridge twice this week, with Kira Chathli’s side kicking things off in Nottingham on Bank Holiday Monday when the Three Feathers face The Blaze
Surrey will look to get back to winning ways after two defeats on the road, with getting underway at 10:30am.
HOW CAN I KEEP UP WITH PLAY?
The match will be broadcast live on Nottinghamshire’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 and a written report will be available after the end of play on Surrey’s YouTube channel.
SQUAD UPDATES
As England contracted players Alice Capsey, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Sophia Dunkley have been made unavailable for Monday’s fixture against the Blaze.
Ryana MacDonald-Gay makes her return to the squad following an injury sustained at the end of last season.
LAST TIME OUT VS THE BLAZE
The previous Metro Bank One Day Cup clash between the two sides ended in a tie at Beckenham last season. Dani Gregory took three wickets as The Blaze posted 346/9 from their 50 overs, with Amy Jones (80), Kathryn Bryce (56) and Georgia Elwiss (82) scoring the bulk of the runs.
Alice Capsey led the Surrey innings, scoring her maiden Surrey century. Wickets continued to fall at the other end however, which meant Surrey were always chasing the game. A flurry of late boundaries by Ryana MacDonald‑Gay (27) kept Surrey in the hunt, but it was Alexa Stonehouse’s unbeaten 32 from 18 balls that gave Surrey a chance. With Surrey nine down, two runs needed off the final ball. Dani Gregory scampered through for a single for the match with nearly 700 runs scored end all square.
THE BLAZE
Captain: Kirstie Gordon
Head coach: Craig Cumming
2025 finish: 2nd
2025 highest run-scorer: Kathryn Bryce (632)
2025 highest wicket-taker: Kathryn Bryce and Grace Ballinger (18)
Winter moves: Ireland international all-rounder Orla Prendergast, back for a third spell, will play in April and May and at the backend, with Australian all-rounder Charli Knott available for the three Metro Bank One-Day Cup Women fixtures that coincide with the T20 World Cup. England leg-spinner Sarah Glenn has moved to Yorkshire, with all-rounder Emma Jones joining from Surrey.
The big question: Given the wealth of talent in their squad, The Blaze underachieved in 2025, reaching three semi-finals but losing them all. With the benefit of a full pre-season under Kiwi coach Craig Cumming, they are confident of putting that right this year and, with the World Cup likely to deplete their ranks heavily in mid-summer, the One Day Cup might be their best chance of success. Can they hit the ground running?
Player to watch: Cassidy McCarthy’s T20 form has earned her a £65,000 deal with Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred this summer but she also impressed in the One Day Cup last season with 11 wickets in eight appearances. The 23-year-old right-arm seamer, selected for the England Women Performance Programme over the winter, could make an even bigger impact in this year’s competition.
Final thought: Called the Blaze since 2023, having previously evolved from Loughborough Lightning to Lightning, the Trent Bridge-based team will undergo another rebrand in 2027, coming into line with the rest of the professional women’s teams by adopting a county identity. If they can conjure some success in their final season, going out in a Blaze of glory will be a headline that is hard to resist.
