​The Blaze and Durham have secured top-four finishes in the Women’s T20 Blast and thus booked their places on Finals Day, after The Blaze completed a seven-wicket win over Somerset at Trent Bridge with Charli Knott delivering an unbeaten 63. That result, combined with Durham’s defeat of Essex by 12 runs at Chester-le-Street, confirmed Durham’s spot in the knockout phase. Hampshire Hawks also clinched first place in the league phase by beating Warwickshire by four wickets at Edgbaston. In the Roses clash at Emirates Old Trafford, Yorkshire defeated Lancashire Thunder by 29 runs, in the first-ever women’s Roses T20 match at the venue.
Somerset opted to bat first after winning the toss, but The Blaze’s tight bowling slowed them to 62 for five after 11 overs. Charlie Dean claimed 3-24 and, although Knott accelerated with a 63 off 43 balls, the Somerset total finished at 118-8 from their 20 overs, leaving The Blaze with a comfortable chase of 119. Knott and Sarah Bryce added a stand of 87, with Bryce contributing 29 as The Blaze saw this one home with 34 balls to spare. This win ensured Durham could not drop out of the top four regardless of their result against Essex, since they were already positioned in third.
Essex batted first at Chester-le-Street, with a strong opening partnership of 94 between captain Grace Scrivens and Anneke Bosch setting the tone. Bosch fell for 48, but Scrivens continued to 85 off 64 balls to establish a total of 162-4. Durham’s reply never quite matched that pace; Hollie Armitage top-scored with 43, yet two wickets apiece for Eva Gray (2-27) and Esmae MacGregor (2-39) helped Essex nip away at the innings, finishing on 150-6. Georgia Adams contributed 53 as Durham’s plateau of form was undone by the visitors, and the result confirmed that Essex would not only end Durham’s run but also that Durham would finish outside the top two in this match.
Hampshire’s victory over Warwickshire confirmed their place on Finals Day and marked a seventh consecutive win for the Hawks at Edgbaston. Warwickshire, already eliminated, were invited to bat first and posted 166-5 with captain Katie George leading from the front on 67. Hampshire chased with force, with captain Georgia Adams blasting 53 off 29 balls, and a key 2-21 from her spin overs. Nancy Harman added 49 off 26 in support as Hampshire reached 167-6 with an over to spare, cementing their status as group winners.
The Roses clash between Lancashire and Yorkshire saw Ami Campbell’s 64 steer Yorkshire to 162-6, aided by Jess Jonassen’s composed 33. Lancashire, already out of contention, fell behind early as Eve Jones and Meg Lanning were dismissed with the score at 14-2, eroding the chase as the innings progressed.
Overall, the standings now see Hampshire finish top of the table, Durham and The Blaze in the top four alongside Surrey, with Finals Day set to take place at the Kia Oval on Friday, 17 July. The results also left Warwickshire’s campaign at a close, with nine losses from 12 games, while Yorkshire and Lancashire each had varying outcomes in their Roses match-up, highlighting the regional rivalry that remains a highlight of the season.