Essex Women continue their Vitality Blast campaign with a visit to Headlingley to face Yorkshire Women for the first time in the T20 Blast format.
After falling to a 23-run defeat to Hampshire Hawks last time out in Southampton, Grace Scrivens' side will be looking to turn over Yorkshire at Leeds for Essex Women's second win of the T20 campaign.
Despite an excellent spell from Kate Coppack, who claimed 4-18 to restrict Hampshire to 160, Essex were unable to build enough momentum in the chase. Coppack repeatedly halted Hampshire’s progress with disciplined bowling, while the Eagles also benefited from solid fielding and regular breakthroughs.
With the bat, Essex struggled early after losing both openers in the powerplay, managing just 28 runs in the opening six overs. However, Jodi Grewcock continued her strong start to the competition with a composed half-century, sharing a 71-run stand with Cordelia Griffith to keep the chase alive.
The key difference proved to be Hampshire’s spin attack, with Georgia Adams, Amanda-Jade Wellington and Bex Tyson combining to slow the scoring through the middle overs and take regular wickets.
Essex Women will take encouragement from Grewcock’s continued form and Coppack’s standout display as they look to respond strongly in their next Blast fixture.
Stephen Parry has named a 14-player squad for the trip to Leeds to face Yorkshire.
Abtaha Maqsood is unavailable due to being selected for Scotland's tri-series and the World Cup.
Captain: Lauren Winfield-Hill
Overseas: Jess Jonassen (Australia)
2025 finish: Finalists, Tier 2
2025 leading run-scorer: Georgie Boyce (288)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Ria Fackrell (16)
Winter moves: Yorkshire have signed two international spin-bowling all-rounders in England’s Sarah Glenn and Australia’s Jess Jonassen. Both add quality and know-how to a largely inexperienced squad looking to make the step up to Tier 1 having impressed in last year’s Tier 2 Blast when they were beaten finalists against Middlesex. In all, they won nine of 10 matches in that competition.
The big question: Can they stand some absence through the middle phase of the season because of the T20 World Cup being played in England? Sterre Kalis and Rachel Slater will be missing a good chunk of matches due to Netherlands and Scotland duty. It’s far from ideal for coach Rich Pyrah, who isn’t blessed with a deep squad.
Wildcard watch: Ines Blackwell. Yorkshire’s Academy all-rounder turns 17 on May 30. She’s very highly rated by the White Rose hierarchy, as indicated by her being a regular fixture in the team through the early-season One-Day Cup block. A middle-order batter and a medium-pace, in-swing bowler, she is an ‘old head on young shoulders’ character. In a ODC tie against Durham, she even pulled Lauren Filer for six.
Final thought: Yorkshire’s start to life in Tier 1 has been a real mixed bag. They have played some brilliant cricket and even beat defending One-Day Cup champions Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford. But they have also let some victories slip through their grasp. They won two of their first four matches and potentially should have won all four. Countless run outs and a lack of tail-end runs has hurt them. If they are going to progress quickly, they need to wise up.
Yorkshire squad: TBC
Essex Women were edged out by Yorkshire Women in a high-scoring quarter-final qualifier at Headingley, falling just 11 runs short in the T20 Women’s County Cup last year.
Yorkshire posted 188 for four, built around a superb unbeaten 83 from Sterre Kalis and a senior-best 43* from Maddie Ward, the pair sharing a match-defining fifth-wicket stand of 113.
In reply, Essex fought hard to keep the chase alive, finishing 177 for eight and taking the contest deep into the final over. Essex showed resilience and intent throughout the innings, pushing a strong Yorkshire side all the way in a match that remained alive until the closing moments.
Despite the result, Essex demonstrated strong competitiveness against top-tier opposition and took valuable momentum from their performance, having matched Yorkshire’s intensity in a thrilling contest that showcased the quality on both sides.
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