The Blaze Secures Win in Women’s One-Day Cup

The Blaze’s treble charge shows no sign of slowing.

On a sunlit afternoon at Trent Bridge, the Nottingham-based side swatted aside Somerset by six wickets in the Women’s One-Day Cup, tightening their grip on top spot and moving to within a single win of a home final on 19 September.

They did it with the kind of calm authority that has defined their season.

Bryce and Jones shut the door

Chasing 193, The Blaze lost neither their nerve nor their shape. Tammy Beaumont set the tone with a measured 39, absorbing the early scrutiny and blunting Somerset’s new-ball hopes.

Once she departed, the chase belonged to Sarah Bryce and Emma Jones.

Bryce, busy and composed, anchored the innings with an unbeaten 54 from 65 balls, picking gaps, running hard, and denying Somerset any hint of a wobble. At the other end, Jones injected tempo and intent, striking 53 not out from just 44 deliveries. She turned a routine pursuit into a procession, accelerating just as Somerset needed to drag the game back.

The pair’s unbroken partnership finished the job with 11.3 overs to spare. No late drama. No stumble. Just ruthless efficiency from a side eyeing a clean sweep of domestic trophies.

Higham leads a ruthless attack

The platform for that serene chase came from another disciplined bowling display.

Somerset captain Sophie Luff once again stood tall, crafting her fourth 50-over half-century of the season. She battled to hold the innings together while wickets fell around her, but The Blaze refused to let any partnership truly settle.

Spinner Lucy Higham was the standout, ripping through the middle order with figures of 4-28. She struck at crucial moments, breaking resistance just when Somerset looked ready to push on. Grace Ballinger and Kirstie Gordon shared the supporting honours, each taking two wickets as Somerset were bowled out for 192.

It was a total that always felt light against this Blaze batting line-up. The bowlers had done their job. The batters finished it with minimal fuss.

Title race tightens behind leaders

While The Blaze kept their five-point cushion at the top of the 50-over standings, the chasing pack refused to drift away.

Second-placed Hampshire stayed in touch, brushing aside Yorkshire by seven wickets to confirm their own place in the knockouts. Surrey made a statement of their own, hammering Essex by 118 runs, while Lancashire edged a thriller, squeezing past Durham by three runs at their new home on the outskirts of Preston.

The table has a clear leader, but the noise behind them is growing.

Hampshire showdown looms

Now comes the next examination of The Blaze’s credentials.

They need just one win from their final two group fixtures to guarantee a return to Trent Bridge for the final. Standing immediately in their way are Hampshire, the side closest to them in the table and already assured of knockout cricket.

That clash, in Southampton on Wednesday, carries the feel of a dress rehearsal for something bigger. A win for The Blaze would lock in home advantage for the showpiece. A Hampshire victory would tighten the screw and ask fresh questions of the treble favourites.

Somerset, meanwhile, still have something tangible to chase. Despite this defeat, they remain in the scrap for third place with Warwickshire and the last spot in the eliminator on 16 September.

For now, though, the story belongs to The Blaze: treble on, pressure rising, and every opponent lining up to try and stop the juggernaut before it reaches home turf in mid-September.