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Women’s Vitality Blast Preview: Somerset v The Blaze
THE MATCH
Somerset welcome The Blaze to the Cooper Associates County Ground in the Vitality Blast tomorrow (Wednesday July 16th).
Tickets for this match are still available.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
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.
Entry to the Cooper Associates County Ground will be via the Jack White Gates (St James Street) and Sir Vivian Richards Gate (Priory Bridge Road) only.
Seating will be available in the following stands:
- Marcus Trescothick Pavilion Upper
- Marcus Trescothick Pavilion Lower
- Ondaatje Family Stand
- Ondaatje Alcohol Free Stand
- Gimblett’s Hill (accessible viewing area)
- Colin Atkinson Pavilion
- Lord Botham Stand
- James Hildreth Stand
- Somerset Stand Block 5
- Somerset Women 1875 Club and Long Room Members will be able to access the 1875 Club for this fixture.
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 Thursday July 17th.
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
Matchday food and drink will be available from the SCCC concessions and bars situated in the Lord Botham Stand, Stragglers Coffee House and the St James Street fan village.
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
THE BLAZE
Captain: Kirstie Gordon
Overseas players: Maddy Green (New Zealand, first four matches), Heather Graham (Australia, last 10 matches)
Key winter moves: The big change for The Blaze has been off the pitch, where former New Zealand Test batter Craig Cumming takes over as head coach in place of Chris Guest, who guided the Trent Bridge-based team to its first silverware in the Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 competition in 2024. Cumming arrives with a winning pedigree, though, having won two trophies in four years with Otago Sparks.
The big question: After last season’s impressive campaign established The Blaze at the top of the pile in the 20-over format, can anyone knock them off their perch? South East Stars, who ran them closest in 2024, have morphed into Surrey Women, with whom The Blaze shared 692 runs in an incredible 50-over tie at Beckenham earlier this month. There may be little between them over 20 overs too.
Wildcard watch: Charley Phillips – Such is the depth of The Blaze squad, some 15 of their number are already signed up for the 2025 edition of The Hundred. If they are to be joined by another team-mate, it may be Charley Phillips, who arrived from Sunrisers in the close season as a young bowler with pace and has already made a good impression.
Final thought: The Blaze squad contains four current England players but it is their Scottish triumvirate – skipper Kirstie Gordon and the Bryce sisters, Kathryn and Sarah – who are the heart of the team. Gordon was the leading 20-over wicket-taker in 2024, Kathryn Bryce the top runscorer and wicket-keeper Sarah had only one in front of her in the dismissals table. They may hold the keys to success again in 2025.
TEAM NEWS
Somerset will be without Heather Knight (hamstring), Emma Corney (Knee), Amelie Munday (knee) and Charlie Dean (international duty).
Somerset have named the following squad:
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of the match, Somerset Head Coach, Trevor Griffin said: “Surrey are an experienced and well drilled squad and the bottom line is that we were outplayed in all three facets of the game on Sunday. We’re definitely looking for a response. We’re aware that there’s a huge amount of support for us from our fanbase and from within the Club, and we have the opportunity tomorrow to go out there and demonstrate that we can compete and get another win on the board.
“In the five games prior to the win against Essex we were playing some good cricket, we were competing and we took the games down to the wire. The Essex game was close and we managed to get over the line but we haven’t been able to repeat that in the last two games.
“We need to focus on what we’ve been doing well and work on the areas that we need to improve. We need to give the players confidence, back them and encourage them to take the game on.”
MATCH SPONSOR – STEPHENS SCOWN LLP
Stephens Scown is a leading South West law firm with a reputation for doing things differently.
Having evolved from a traditional law practice founded in Cornwall in 1938, they are now a regional heavyweight law firm that is both employee-owned and B Corp™ Certified.
NEXT MATCH
Somerset Women are next in action on Friday July 18th when we take on Lancashire Thunder at Stanley Park, Blackpool in the Vitality Blast.
