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Vitality Blast: Double Header Preview
THE MATCHES
Both Somerset Men and Women are in action in the Vitality Blast at the Cooper Associates County Ground tomorrow (June 15th).
Somerset Women face Durham at 12pm whilst Somerset Men take on Kent Spitfires at 4pm.
Tickets for this match are SOLD OUT!
Gates will open at 11am for ticket holders.
Please note that double headers are not included in 2025 Somerset Women Membership.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please note that there will be no re-admittance after 3pm.
Information on everything that you will need for a matchday at SCCC, including how to download your e-tickets and how to use the SCCC Ticket App can all be found in our Visiting Guide.
Bag searches will be in operation and spectators are reminded that no glass or sharp implements will be permitted within the Cooper Associates County Ground.
For full Ground Regulations please visit the link below:
Ticket buyers can download their online tickets via their SCCC account. All ticket or Membership collections or queries will be managed at the Jack White Gates (St James Street).
The Club Reception Desk is now permanently based in the Reception of the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion and not in the Andrew Caddick Pavilion.
Due to the busy nature of a matchday, our telephone lines will reopen at 10am on Monday June 16th.
Scorecards will be available from Reception in the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion. Completed scorecards can be downloaded after the match via the Membership section of this website.
FAN VILLAGE & CATERING
We will once again be staging our fan village in the St James Street side of the Cooper Associates County Ground.
The fan village features a wide range of food and drink plus live music from Stevie Nicole Brown between fixtures and during the men’s interval.
Matchday food and drink will also be available from the SCCC concessions and bars around the ground.
HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?
Our award winning live stream is available for fans to watch via this website and our YouTube channel.
You can also keep up to date by using our dedicated matchday blog via this website’s Match Centre and on our X feed.
In association with Vertu, Somerset County Cricket Club will be providing radio ear pieces to enable Members and supporters to enjoy our live ball-by-ball match commentary. These will be available to purchase from Reception in the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion at a cost of £12 and these will last all season.
A report on the day’s play will also be posted on this website.
THE OPPOSITION
DURHAM WOMEN
Captain: Hollie Armitage
Overseas player: Suzie Bates (New Zealand, full competition)
Key winter 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.
KENT SPITFIRES
Captain: Sam Billings
Overseas players: Wes Agar (Australia, all group matches) Tom Rogers (Australia, all group matches)
Finals Day appearances: Four (2007, 2008, 2009, 2021)
Titles: Two (2007, 2021)
2024 finish: Ninth (South Group)
2024 leading runscorer: Sam Billings (411)
2024 leading wicket taker: Matt Parkinson (16)
Key winter moves: Rogers was an emergency signing last year and enjoyed himself so much he said he’d come back for free (although he is being paid). Agar was only supposed to play red-ball cricket last year but did enough as emergency cover to earn a multi-format deal. Chris Benjamin’s arrival from Bears should add some firepower.
The big question: Will the return of Fred Klaassen galvanise a bowling unit that was badly exposed last year? The Dutch international missed most of 2023 and all of 2024. Inexperienced replacements were severely punished for the slightest lapses in length, line or both, but Klaassen offers both a wicket-taking threat and a level of discipline and control severely lacking last season.
Wildcard watch: Daniel Bell-Drummond. The stylish right-hander is without a The Hundred team after previous stints at London Spirit and Birmingham Phoenix. He’s a safe bet for any team looking for top-order hitting with more than 4,000 Vitality Blast runs to his name at a strike rate close to 140, while he enjoyed a profitable 2024 with 373 runs which included three half-centuries.
Final thought: Does any side blow as hot and cold as Kent have done in the last few seasons? They won the Blast in 2021, finished bottom of the South Group in 2022, were unlucky not to reach the quarter-finals in 2023 and struggled again in 2024. If this pattern continues they should be due a good season, and seven of the 2021 champions (Crawley, Bell-Drummond, Joe Denly, Billings, Leaning, Stewart and Klaassen) remain at the club.
TEAM NEWS
Somerset Women will be without Heather Knight (hamstring), Dani Gibson (back), Emma Corney (knee) and Lola Harris (exams).
A starting XI will be named from the following squad:
Somerset Men have named an unchanged squad for this fixture:
VIEWS FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
On the eve of this double header, Somerset Women’s Head Coach, Trevor Griffin said: “There are a number of positives that we can take from last night’s performance against Lancashire. I was really impressed by how the team stayed in the game and kept fighting right until the end.
“We will continue to try and get better with every single game, and with a little bit of luck going our way we can hopefully get that first win on the board on Sunday.
“Durham are a good side and they’ve got some dangerous players like Susie Bates, but we’ll prepare well and focus on what we do. When we arrive tomorrow the scoreboard will say 0 for 0 and we will go again.”
Ahead of the clash with Kent Spitfires, Somerset Men’s Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “We’re all looking forward to another sold out double header and hopefully we can give our Members and supporters something to cheer again. The atmosphere whenever we play at home is always fantastic and I’m sure tomorrow will be no different.
“The players are incredible proud to play in front of our Members and supporters and they recognise the incredible support that we get every time we step out onto the field.
“Kent are a good side and we’ve certainly had some exciting games with them down the years. We’re two from two at home so far and hopefully we can maintain that 100% record tomorrow.”
TRADE NATION STATS
CLASSIC MATCH
We head back to 2019 for the classic Vitality Blast match between Somerset and Kent Spitfires at the Cooper Associates County Ground.
It was a match that saw a maiden T20 century for Tom Banton as the hosts claimed a 55-run victory.
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THE VERTU MOTORS CROWD CATCH!
As well as enjoying the spectacular action of this season’s Blast, you can be a part of it with the Vertu Crowd Catch!
If you take a clean catch in the crowd during any of our Home Vitality Blast matches, you will win hospitality for two to our Metro Bank One Day Cup match against Durham on Friday August 8th.
In order to qualify for the prize, the official in-play match ball must be caught by the winner straight from the air without having touched any object or person before being caught by the winner. Evidence of identity, ticket and age may be required.
NEXT MATCH
Somerset Men and Women both play Hampshire Hawks at the Cooper Associates County Ground in a Vitality Blast double header on Thursday June 19th.
Tickets for this matchday are still available and can be purchased now!
