The Blaze 162 for 1 (S Bryce 70, K Bryce 67) beat Essex 159 (Scrivens 70, Gordon 3-25) by nine wickets
The Blaze secured their place in the Metro Bank Women’s One-Day Cup final with a dominant nine-wicket victory over Essex, a win that also ensured they reclaimed the top spot in the standings.
After losing their leadership position to Hampshire earlier in the week, The Blaze entered the match needing only to avoid defeat to regain their advantage. They achieved this with ease, chasing down a target of 160 in just 19.1 overs. The victory was anchored by an unbeaten 132-run partnership between sisters Sarah and Kathryn Bryce, who dismantled the Essex bowling attack.
Despite a resilient 70 from Essex captain Grace Scrivens, the home side struggled to build momentum. Aside from Sophie Smale’s 20, the batting lineup failed to consolidate, resulting in an all-out for 159 in 45.4 overs. Blaze captain Kirstie Gordon led the bowling attack with impressive figures of 3 for 25, supported by Kathryn Bryce, Lucy Higham, and Cassidy McCarthy, who all claimed two wickets each.
Hampshire is set to face the winner of the upcoming match between Surrey Women and Somerset in an eliminator next Wednesday. The victor of that encounter will progress to the final at the Utilita Bowl on September 19 to face The Blaze, who have already secured silverware this season in both the Blast and the Vitality T20 County Cup.
After The Blaze elected to bowl first, Essex opener Bryony Gilgrass showed early promise alongside Scrivens. However, the momentum shifted when Cassidy McCarthy trapped Gilgrass LBW and quickly followed up by dismissing Jodi Grewcock.
Sophie Smale briefly struck back with consecutive boundaries against McCarthy, but was eventually trapped LBW by off-spinner Lucy Higham. Higham followed this by inducing a top edge from Jo Gardner for a catch.
Essex’s progress stalled significantly; after reaching 80 for 2, they collapsed to 89 for 6. Left-arm spinner Kirstie Gordon dismissed Mollie Adams LBW, and Kathryn Bryce soon removed Liberty Heap.
While Sophie Munro provided brief support to Scrivens in a 41-run stand, the partnership was broken when Munro was run out following a fielding error. Gordon then claimed a spectacular diving return catch to dismiss Esmae MacGregor, before Scrivens’ innings ended, caught on a bottom edge. Kathryn Bryce concluded the Essex innings in the 46th over by dismissing Abtaha Maqsood to long-on.
The Blaze’s chase began with a momentary scare when MacGregor bowled former England international Tammy Beaumont with a sharp delivery. However, this proved to be the only breakthrough for Essex. The Bryce sisters proceeded to punish the remaining bowling with clinical precision. Sarah Bryce struck 10 boundaries, while Kathryn added 12 fours and a six, driving the winning runs home with 185 balls to spare.