Essex Women return to the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground to continue their hunt for the Vitality Blast T20 title.
Essex Women begin the second half of the competition in sixth place following a three-week break from T20 cricket.
Last time out, the squad faced Hampshire Hawks Women at home and saw a tough defeat. Leading the team in the field, Grace Scrivens came away with bowling figures of 2-33, with additional wickets coming from Sophia Smale and Sophie Munro.
The second innings saw Jodi Grewcock make 30 runs and share a key partnership with Jo Gardner (16). Essex slipped to 100 all-out, and finished the match 55 runs behind the guests.
They now look to bounce-back and take the points away from league leaders The Blaze to move up the table.
Stephen Parry has named a 13-player squad for the first match of the second block of T20 matches.
Essex Women's Captain Grace Scrivens, Jodi Grewcock and Sophia Smale are all unavailable due to their selection with England Women A. Therefore, Eva Gray will continue to captain the team.
Abtaha Maqsood is unavailable due to suffering a hand fracture whilst on international duty with Scotland. Unfortunately, this has ruled Abtaha out of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup and an update on her return will be released in due course.
After sustaining a leg injury against Lancashire Thunder, Cordelia Griffith will undertake rehab and will be unavailable for the remainder of the season.
Everyone at Essex County Cricket Club wishes Cordelia and Abtaha the best in their recoveries.
Captain: Kirstie Gordon
Overseas: Charli Knott (Australia)
2025 finish: Semi-finalists
2025 leading run-scorer: Georgia Elwiss (412)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Kathryn Bryce (17)
Winter moves: The Blaze have signed talented Australia A all-rounder Charli Knott, who brings experience of the Women’s Premier League in India, the Women’s Big Bash and The Hundred, and hit five white-ball half-centuries for Hampshire Women last summer. Meanwhile, Emma Jones, formerly with Surrey, can provide useful runs in the middle order.
The big question: The Blaze, like others, will be depleted because of the clash with the Women’s T20 World Cup. They lose England’s Amy Jones and Nat Sciver-Brunt and Ireland’s Orla Prendergast, although it may be the unavailability of their three Scots, Kathryn and Sarah Bryce and Blaze skipper Kirstie Gordon, that is the most keenly felt. Can those left step up a level?
Wildcard watch: United States international Ella Claridge, whose country missed out on qualification for the T20 World Cup, has a chance to make her presence felt in the Vitality Blast. The 24-year-old wicketkeeper batter will carry some responsibility in the absence of Scotland’s Sarah Bryce and England’s Amy Jones but has proved before that she can rise to the challenge under pressure.
Final thought: Even stripped of six internationals, The Blaze still have the capacity to mount a challenge for silverware. Marie Kelly, a very capable top-order batter and excellent fielder, will captain the side, with experienced England batter Tammy Beaumont as a sounding board as well as a key source of runs. Charley Phillips, Grace Ballinger and Cassidy McCarthy are three top-notch seamers, while former England all-rounder Georgia Elwiss has enjoyed a couple of outstanding seasons with bat and ball.
The Blaze squad: click here.
Essex’s bowlers did their job superbly after choosing to field, restricting The Blaze to 139 all out with an excellent all-round effort. Eva Gray was the standout performer, producing her best figures of the season with four for 18, including three wickets in the final over to prevent The Blaze from posting a bigger total. Abtaha Maqsood also struck twice in quick succession to remove the Bryce sisters, while Maddie Penna and Jodi Grewcock kept the pressure on early.
At 79 for five, The Blaze were in danger of collapsing before Heather Graham’s quickfire 33 gave the visitors some momentum, although Essex would have felt confident chasing 140 on their home ground.
However, Essex’s batting never got going. Grace Scrivens fell early and Lauren Winfield-Hill struggled for fluency as The Blaze’s attack tightened its grip. Jodi Grewcock (33) and Maddie Penna (26) briefly revived the chase with a fourth-wicket partnership, but once Penna fell attempting to accelerate, Essex lost momentum.
The dismissal of Grewcock soon after sparked a collapse, with Kirstie Gordon taking two wickets in successive deliveries and the middle order unable to respond. Kate Coppack’s unbeaten 14 was the only other contribution in double figures as Essex finished on 104 for nine.
The defeat leaves Essex relying on unlikely results elsewhere to reach Finals Day, making the result particularly frustrating given the quality of their bowling performance. Gray’s outstanding spell and disciplined displays from the rest of the attack were ultimately undermined by a batting effort that failed to cope with the spin of Sarah Glenn and Kirstie Gordon.
Click here for the tournament preview.
Vitality Blast Spectator Guide
Click here for the spectator guide.
If you are unable to attend any of the matchdays, the game will be available to watch via the Essex Cricket YouTube livestream. Alternatively, you can keep up to date with the game via our social media channels as we provide live updates.
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Daily highlights will be available after each day's play via the Club website and social media.
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