Essex Women v Lancashire Thunder | Essex Women v Durham Women
Vitality Blast
Ambassador Cruise Line Ground | Chelmsford
Wednesday 16 July, 6pm | Friday, 18 July, 6pm
Essex Women finish their 2025 Vitality Blast campaign this week with fixtures against Lancashire Thunder and Durham Women, both at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground.
Andy Tennant’s side will be looking to finish the T20 format strongly following a disappointing defeat to The Blaze on Sunday, falling 36 runs short with the bat, but still have a mathematical chance of qualifying – albeit by the slightest of chances.
Despite the defeat, there were positives to take from the match, as Eva Gray once again showed her class with the ball, taking four wickets in 22 balls at an average of just 4.91. Her spell included a burst in which she claimed three wickets in the space of four deliveries.
Sarah Glenn and Cassidy McCarthy stifled Essex’s batting as The Blaze successfully defended 139 at Chelmsford to seal their place at Women’s Vitality Blast Finals Day.
England leg-spinner Glenn finished with figures of three for 17, following seamer McCarthy’s one for eight from three overs up top and skipper Kirstie Gordon weighed in with four for 22, including two wickets in as many balls.
Those efforts all helped to ensure Essex were restricted to just 104 for nine in reply – and the home side’s defeat leaves them only a remote mathematical chance of joining The Blaze in the last four.
Earlier, Heather Graham top-scored with 33 from 23 as the visitors were bowled out two deliveries short of their full allocation, with Essex seamer Eva Gray recording a season’s best of four for 18.
ICYMI: Eva Gray
Squad
Head Coach Andy Tennant has named a 13-player squad for the penultimate Blast match which is against the Thunder.
Seam bowler Esmae MacGregor is being precautionarily rested.
Sophie Munro and Flo Miller are continuing to participate in light training on their road to recovery.
The Opposition: Lancashire
Captain: Ellie Threlkeld
Overseas Players: Katie Mack (Australia, first three group matches), Alana King (Australia, from match four onwards)
Key Moves: Lancashire were busy ahead of 2025. Eve Jones arrived and is currently one of county cricket’s in-form batters. She’s been joined by England fringe fast bowler Grace Potts and Scotland spinner Darcey Carter. Batter Katie Mack will start the Blast before being replaced by one of the competition’s standout overseas signings, her fellow Australian Alana King, the superstar leg-spinner.
The Big Question: Lancashire have started the summer brilliantly, winning six of eight matches in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, before lifting the T20 County Cup. Can they transfer that momentum into the Blast? If so, they will definitely be a force. They look to be well balanced, with strength across all disciplines. In the regional era, Thunder’s only knockout cricket came courtesy of a 2023 Charlotte Edwards Cup Finals Day appearance.
Wildcard Watch: Left-armer Sophie Morris is another one off a Lancashire spin-bowling conveyor belt which has nurtured Sophie Ecclestone, Olivia Bell and Hannah Jones in recent times. The 21-year-old played in the regional Charlotte Edwards Cup during the last two summers and, in a 2022 Academy T20 friendly, returned an astonishing 6-0. Her maiden senior five-for came against Durham earlier this month.
Final Thought Ashes rivals, Thunder team-mates. You could well see a spin bowling partnership of Sophie Ecclestone and Alana King during this summer’s Vitality Blast. Aussie leggie King loves Emirates Old Trafford. In 2021, she took a hat-trick there whilst playing for Trent Rockets in The Hundred, a particularly proud moment given it was at the scene of her idol Shane Warne’s ball of the century to Mike Gatting in 1993.
The Opposition: Durham Women
Captain: Hollie Armitage
Overseas Players: Suzie Bates (New Zealand, full competition)
Key Moves: Durham have signed a plethora of eye-catching talent, some young, some experienced. England stars Hollie Armitage, Lauren Filer, Bess Heath and Mady Villiers are chief amongst them. New Zealand batting legend Suzie Bates will be key to their hopes of success. Given the importance of quality spin in T20 cricket, the presence of gun leg-spinner Katie Levick in Durham’s line-up may be most telling.
The Big Question: It’s been an inconsistent start to the summer for Durham in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, winning three of eight matches. Perhaps that’s understandable given this was a newly assembled squad for 2025. But, a couple of months down the line, can they kick on in the Blast and challenge the competition favourites such as The Blaze and Lancashire Thunder?
Wildcard Watch: Grace Thompson. The 17-year-old fast bowler has all the attributes to be a future star for Durham and England. Tall, pacy, accurate and with, seemingly, a good temperament. Think Lauren Bell, and you won’t be a million miles off if you haven’t seen her. Amazing Grace? Quite possibly. If Thompson gets it right in the Blast, she will be hot property.
Final Thought The next couple of months are key for the progression of women’s cricket in Durham. With the likelihood of bigger crowds for Blast fixtures than 50-over matches at the Banks Homes Riverside, this is a great opportunity for this new professional side to really build a connection with cricket lovers, especially children, in the North East. Silverware is important, of course it is. But there’s somewhat of a bigger picture at play in this summer’s Blast for Durham Cricket.
Group Preview
Click here for a team-by-team preview of each of the group contenders.
How To Watch
If you are not accompanying the Eagles in Chelmsford, both matches will be live-streamed on the hosts’ YouTube channel and will be available to watch through the Essex Cricket Matchzone.
A report will be published on the Club website at the conclusion of the game, while live updates and highlights will be provided on the Essex Cricket social media channels.
Purchase your England v India tickets!
The England Men under 19s are playing in a four day Test match at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground this summer!
They will face India Men under 19s, including 14-year old IPL superstar Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who became the youngest player bought in an IPL auction after being selected by Rajasthan Royals. He is also the youngest player to score a century in IPL history!
Day one will begin on July 20 with the final day concluding on July 23.
Tickets are still available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get yourself down to CM2 to watch the next generation of international cricketers.
