Vitality Blast Double Header: Warwickshire Bears v Somerset
THE MATCHES
Somerset Men and Somerset Women are both in action in the Vitality Blast when they take on their Warwickshire Bears counterparts at Edgbaston tomorrow (Sunday May 24th).
Somerset Women will get the action underway at 11:30am with Somerset Men taking to the field at 3:30pm.
Tickets for this double header are still available.
HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?
You can keep up to date using the dedicated Match Centre on this website which will feature a live stream of the action courtesy of Warwickshire CCC.
In-play updates will also appear on our X feed (formerly Twitter).
In addition to this, a report on the day’s play along with quotes will be posted on this website.
THE OPPOSITION
WARWICKSHIRE BEARS WOMEN
Captain: Georgia Davis
Overseas players: Georgia Redmayne (Australia, all)
2025 finish: finalists
2025 leading run-scorer: Davina Perrin (385)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Millie Taylor (22)
Key winter moves: Australia wicketkeeper/batter Georgia Redmayne has been signed and will bring valuable experience and nous to a squad which is highly talented but still relatively young and inexperienced.
The big question: Can Warwickshire’s squad cope with injuries to key personnel which will affect them in the group stage? Katie George (abductor) and Davina Perrin (hamstring), two integral members of the first-choice top order, will miss at least the early group games. With Issy Wong and Em Arlott away on England duty, the Bears’ squad depth will be tested.
Wildcard watch: Meg Austin – an aggressive top-order batter who scores quickly with a range of strokes, the 21-year-old from Staffordshire is a ‘proper’ batter who can also improvise. Quick between the wickets, she is capable of delivering exciting, match-turning innings.
Final thought: The Bears did brilliantly to finish as runners-up in the Blast last year. They finished third in the group stage to reach Finals Day at which they beat much-fancied Blaze in the semi before losing to Surrey in the final. To have done all that has raised expectations among their supporters this time round, Can the Bears rise to the challenge of higher expectations…as successful teams must do?
WARWICKSHIRE BEARS MEN
Captain: Ed Barnard
Overseas players: Usman Tariq (Pakistan, all), Beau Webster (Australia, all)
Finals Day appearances: Four (2002, 2014, 2015, 2017)
Titles: One (2014)
2025 finish: Quarter-finals
2025 leading run-scorer: Alex Davies (464)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Hasan Ali (25)
Key winter moves: Pakistan off-spinner Usman Tariq is the big addition to a bowling attack which has lost its spin spearhead of recent years, Danny Briggs. Beau Webster’s all-round excellence and big-match temperament will be a big asset.
The big question: The same question that has been on the minds of the Bears’ supporters for five years? Can they fix that quarter-final jinx? Much work is required to even get to that stage, of course, but if they do, a sequence of five successive quarter-final exits must be broken.
Wildcard watch: Ethan Bamber – T20 games are decided by cricketers who make things happen and Bamber is very much in that category. A wicket-taker with the ball and capable of blistering cameos with the bat.
Final thought: Frustration is growing around Edgbaston at Warwickshire’s succession of Blast near-misses – five quarter-final defeats on the bounce. The stadium is a hugely popular host venue for Finals Day… for the hosts to again attend their own party is long overdue.
TEAM NEWS
Somerset Women will be without Heather Knight, Charlie Dean and Dani Gibson (international duty). Emma Corney (knee) and Mollie Robbins (unavailable) will also miss the game.
A starting XI will be named from the following squad:
Somerset Men will be without Tom Kohler-Cadmore (thumb) and Riley Meredith (international duty). Archie Vaughan is added to the squad.
A starting XI will be named from the list below:
VIEWS FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of the match, Somerset Women’s Head Coach, Erin Osborne said: “I think we were really good in patches on Friday. Our batting was good, particularly throughout the middle of that innings, and then Niamh brought us back into the game with a few tight overs and wickets, so there were lots of positives to take from that.
“We’re looking forward to Sunday and we can learn from the Hampshire game, move on quickly and implement a few changes.
“We thoroughly enjoyed playing in front of a good crowd on Friday, and any opportunity you get to showcase your skills in front of a big audience is always something that the players thoroughly enjoy so hopefully it will be the same again at Edgbaston.”
On the eve of Somerset Men’s match, Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “We picked up where we left off and I was pleased with Friday’s performance. We bowled really well and then it was a comprehensive performance with a bat.
“There’s naturally a little bit of rustiness in that first game so there’s still areas we can improve and hopefully we can get better as we move forward.
“Obviously we played Warwickshire in the quarter-final last year and that was an incredible game so we know they’re a strong white-ball side. We need to make sure we do our homework and adapt to the surface at Edgbaston
“Certainly the intention is to make it two out of two but the competition’s long so I think what’s really important is that we’re improving how we play our cricket with each game. If we do that, the results will take care of themselves.”
CLASSIC MATCH
We can’t look any further than last years dramatic quarter final between the two sides which ended in spectacular fashion!
TRADE NATION STATS
Ahead of our Vitality Blast matches this summer we will be be bringing you some amazing stats in partnership with Trade Nation.
NEXT MATCH
Somerset Women’s take on Yorkshire at the Cooper Associates County Ground on Wednesday May 27th.
Tickets are available now.
Somerset Men are next in action in the Vitality Blast when we take on Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens on Friday May 29th.
Tickets are still available
