The Vitality Blast Women continues on 24 May 2026 with exciting fixtures and full match coverage. Access live streaming, live scores, statistics, scorecards, highlights and detailed match reports throughout the day.
Women’s Vitality Blast 2026 Tier 1 – Yorkshire vs Surrey; Warwickshire vs Somerset, Durham vs Hampshire – Form, Insights, Match Predictions – May 24
Vitality Blast Women 2026
Durham Women vs Hampshire Women, Vitality Blast Women
Durham- 178/5 (20) Hampshire- 146/8 (20)
Match result: Durham win by 32 runs
Report by Thomas Ridley on behalf of the ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Durham opened their Vitality Blast campaign with a victory as Hollie Armitage’s half-century led them to a 32-run win over Hampshire Hawks.
Durham won the toss and batted first in good conditions, putting a score of 178 for five on the board. Armitage’s 64 handed the hosts a good platform, but the Hawks pulled that back with a late flurry of wickets.
Hampshire’s chase got of to a slow start as they were restricted to rations by the Durham bowlers, who kept on chipping away with wickets. The visitors failed to recover as they were restricted to 146 for eight from their 20 overs.
Durham’s opening pair of Armitage and Mady Villiers made a good start in the opening exchanges at a scorching Banks Homes Riverside, with the latter hitting back-to-back fours.
The pair continued to motor, bringing up the 50 partnership, but that ended as Villiers was bowled by Hannah Hardwick in the final over of the powerplay.
The Hawks reined Durham in after a quick start. However, Emily Windsor broke the shackles, pummelling a Poppy Tulloch delivery down the ground.
Durham then found their groove once again with a flurry of boundaries, but Bex Tyson dropped Windsor with a caught and bowled opportunity, and the Durham number three was dropped again by Georgia Adams at mid-on from the next ball.
Hampshire finally clung on to one and made a vital breakthrough as they dismissed Windsor, who miscued an Adams ball straight to mid-off.
Armitage then brought up her half-century off 39 balls and Bess Heath hit the first six of the game down the ground, but she tried to replicate that on the legside boundary and was caught in the deep off a Tulloch delivery.
Armitage then fell as she was caught on the ramp to hand Tulloch a second in the over. Tyson bowled Mia Rogers as the Hawks continued to check Durham’s progress and the visitors were set 179 to win the game.
Ella McCaughan and Adams started Hampshire’s chase and McCaughan was dropped at square leg as a Katie Levick ball was hit aerially towards Heath who couldn’t hold on.
However, Durham made the breakthrough as Villiers claimed the scalp of Adams who was caught by a backpedalling Armitage on the legside.
Durham struck again as Katherine Fraser removed McCaughan who was caught in the covers.
Naomi Dattani looked to add some impetus into the visitors’ chase by smashing back-to-back deliveries to the boundary. However, Levick got Sweet LBW to make the chase even more challenging for the Hawks.
Hampshire’s hopes of victory faded as Dattani miscued a Sophia Turner delivery to backward point. Heather Graham then struck for the first time in a Durham shirt as she bowled Nancy Harman.
Abi Norgrove then holed out to long-off, handing Levick a second of the day. While Graham got her second, with Amanda-Jade Wellington caught in the deep.
Durham then sealed the victory, with Villiers picking up a wicket in the final over.
Hampshire’s Naomi Dattani said:
“We probably would’ve looked at bowling first, just so we knew what we were chasing and what the pitch would do.”
“We definitely brought it back, Amanda and Gads (Georgia Adams) towards the end dragged the momentum back to us. We were confident enough to chase 170 down and go from there.”
“It was a tricky start in the powerplay, it just seemed that they got more turn with the type of bowlers they had. It just skidded a bit lower, so it was a little bit difficult up front, but credit to everyone. We batted and went really bravely. If we had a slightly better powerplay, it would definitely be a chaseable target.”
“There’s plenty of games, we want to keep playing a positive brand of cricket, T20s are fine margins. Hopefully we’ll tighten up a few things on our batting and bowling and I’m sure we’ll change our luck.”
Durham’s Hollie Armitage said:
“We’re really happy with the way that we started there, getting the first win on the board at home.”
“It comes around very fast, so we’ll see what the next one brings.”
(On Villiers moving up to opener) “Mady takes on the game really well, and you probably can see what my role is, just to bat for that little bit longer. It worked today and hopefully we can have lots of success with that for our season.”
“We’ve got seven bowling options, HG (Heather Graham) coming into our side is a massive win for us, she’s obviously going to bat in them middle overs, but it also provides me an option with the ball in all three phases in the game.”
Yorkshire Women vs Surrey Women, Vitality Blast Women
Yorkshire 133, Surrey 134-6 (15.3)
Yorkshire 0pts, Surrey 4pts
ECB Reporters’ Network supported by Rothesay
Surrey continued their impressive start to their T20 season when they defeated Yorkshire by four wickets in the Women’s Vitality Blast group match at Headingley.
Ryana Macdonald-Gay and Kalea Moore both took three wickets to restrict the home side to 133 all out in their twenty overs but this modest target was defended in courageous fashion by the home bowlers.
Jess Jonassen took three wickets as Surrey collapsed to 89 for six but Jemima Spence (20 not out) and Alice Monaghan (29 not out) put on an unbroken 45 for the seventh wicket and the visitors reached their target with 27 balls to spare
Yorkshire supporters could also be encouraged by the 60-run opening stand shared by their skipper Lauren Winfield-Hill and Erin Thomas. But few at Headingley thought the visitors would encounter so many problems on what looked a good batting wicket when the batters’ efforts were aided by a fast outfield.
Yorkshire’s openers, Lauren Winfield-Hill and Erin Thomas, launched their side’s innings in impressive fashion by putting on 60 in 5.5 overs before Winfield- Hill was bowled by Ryana Macdonald-Gay with the final ball of the powerplay.
Having made 42 off 29 balls with eight boundaries, Thomas’s enterprising innings ended when she was caught at backward point by Laura Harris off Kalea Moore in the eighth over and that began a collapse which saw four wickets fall for 18 runs in 27 balls.
Jonassen was caught at long-on off Alice Davidson-Richards for two; Ami Campbell perished at deep backward square leg off Macdonald-Gay for the same score; and Maddie Ward lofted Dani Gregory to Bryony Smith at mid off when she had made seven.
Having removed the cream of Yorkshire’s middle order, Surrey’s bowlers maintained the pressure on the remaining batters. There were no substantial partnerships and wickets fell regularly. Dani Gregory was the meanest bowler with figures of one for 21 from four overs but the other members of the attack kept their discipline and allowed few liberties.
The opening pair excepted, Yorkshire’s batters hit only four boundaries and the last nine wickets could barely double the 60 runs scored by Winfield-Hill and Erin Thomas.
Surrey’s reply began in thunderous fashion when Smith hit Rachel Slater’s first four balls for four. But a little order was restored in the next overs when Jonassen bowled Smith for 21. Two overs later Jonassen also castled Kira Chathli for 14 although those wickets did nothing to moderate the Surrey’s batters’ attacking intent.
Davidson-Richards and Laura Harris continued the assault and the fifty came up in the fifth over. However, Surrey’s rapid progress was disrupted in the eighth over, first when Davidson-Richards was caught by Winfield- Hill off Olivia Thomas for 29 and then when Paige Scholfield was run out for nought first ball after a mix-up with Harris.
Yorkshire’s hopes received another boost five balls later when Harris was caught at long on off Jonassen for 19. That left the visitors on 86 for five and the astonishing turnaround continued when Macdonald-Gay was bowled by Holly Garton for nought.
That wicket meant the visitors needed 45 off ten overs but Spence and Monaghan trusted their techniques and guided Surrey to their second victory in this year’s Blast with something to spare. But the holders of the Blast had still been given a fright. Jonassen finished with three for 25.
Surrey all-rounder, Alice Monaghan, said:
“I thought we came out with a bang and Bryony Smith got us well ahead of the run rate but we did lose more wickets than planned. But to start at a good rate is our brand of cricket and we do back our batting line-up and it’s not too bad if we lose a few wickets on the way.
“Yorkshire had a really good opening partnership but then our bowlers did a really good job of containing their batters while continuing to pick up wickets. We have a disciplined bowling unit and we all come into games with clear plans that we aim to execute.
“Two wins from two games isn’t a bad way to start the Blast and it’s always a little worrying if you get to a Final and the bottom half of your order haven’t batted because you’ve been dominating games. So it’s useful to have some tough games in the early stages of the group games.”
Yorkshire batter, Erin Thomas, said:
“It’s really good to be back in the team, and opening again with Lauren. I think we bat well together – it would have been nice to kick on even more today but it’s a great start and hopefully there are good things to come.
“I’m trying to play a pretty aggressive game, to get the team on the front foot – all the players and the staff have really backed me to do that, to back my skill set. Some days it might not come off – it’s high risk, high reward.
“Me and Loz put a good start up, but we didn’t get enough runs in the innings. We did quite well to claw it back, and there was a real energy in our team – but Surrey had a good partnership at the end and played the best cricket.
“We’re a bit disappointed, because we had a good foundation and we didn’t kick on. They were good options, we just didn’t execute.
“We’ve been speaking about it just now, that’s two games now where we’re doing 80% well and the 20% not as well. It’s just getting those small wins. Rich’s message is we’ve got to keep improving in those areas and we’ll start winning matches.
Warwickshire Women vs Somerset Women, Vitality Blast Women
By Brian Halford, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Vitality Blast – Women. Somerset, 167 for 3, beat Warwickshire 166 for 9, by seven wickets.
Somerset lodged their first win of the 2026 Women’s Vitality Blast with a commanding seven-wicket victory over Warwickshire Bears at Edgbaston.
The Bears were left nursing successive defeats at the start of the Blast campaign after choosing to bat but coming in well under par at 166 for nine. Meg Austin made 41 (29 balls) but two run outs added to some careless batting against an attack led by Erin Vukusic (three for 32).
Somerset eased to 167 for three from 18.2 overs in reply thanks to Anika Learoyd (60 not out, 49 – her second half century in successive games) and Sophie Luff (58, 33) against a seriously depleted Bears side missing six key players through international calls and injury.
Warwickshire started briskly as openers Austin and Abi Freeborn scored 34 from the first three overs. Freeborn chipped Olivia Barnes’ first ball to extra cover but Georgia Redmayne pulled her first ball for four and added 47 in 34 balls with Austin before they were parted by a running mix up. Austin set off for a second run that was absolutely there but was left stranded as her partner stayed put.
Redmayne (30, 23) perished 12 balls later when she was yorked by Niamh Holland. Amu Surenkumar (28, 20) struck the day’s first six, a glorious smite over long off off Lola Harris, but then lifted Vukusic to long on.
Another disagreement over a second run did for Nat Wraith and the innings struggled for late momentum against Holland (2-23) and Vukusic who hit back impressively after conceding 17 in the game’s first over.
Somerset’s reply began with a double reprieve. From the first ball of the innings, from Alexa Stonehouse, Rebecca Odgers was dropped by Surenkumar at point. From the second, Luff was caught at extra cover off a no ball. Odgers didn’t get much further before lifting Phoebe Brett’s second ball to mid on but Luff was in imperious form. Picking the gaps beautifully in the powerplay, she charged to a 27-ball half-century and with Learoyd, eased her side into control with a stand of 84 in 51 balls.
Luff was bowled, reverse-sweeping, by Georgia Davis but Holland settled in alongside Learoyd in a stand of 35 in 21 balls which took their side to the threshold of victory. Learoyd, having reached 50 from 40 balls, saw them over it with ten balls to spare.
Warwickshire head coach Ali Maiden said:
“I think we were possibly a few under par with the bat but we weren’t far away. We just didn’t have a big innings in there, so were a few short but I think we could have potentially done something with that score.
“But we just didn’t bowl well enough in the powerplay and dropping chances, a catch off a no ball, those things hurt you. It was a little bit sloppy.
“We are missing some key players but that’s not an excuse. The people who go out on the pitch are still good enough to do the job. We are depleted from our strongest team but I still think we can compete with every team in the competition if we play our best cricket. We are not doing that at the minute so we need to sort that out, shake ourselves off and come back and do it properly next time.”
Somerset batter Sophie Luff said:
“It was awesome to come to Edgbaston off the back of a tie the other day and put in a performance like that. It was really pleasing away from home.
“I thought our bowlers were great. The spinners bowled really well and then the seamers did a fantastic job towards the back end. I always felt we were taking wickets which in T20 is so important because it keeps new batters coming in and you can put them under pressure.
“We were pretty happy with that target to chase. I have got a different role this year, with a bit of licence at the top of the order. As an older player, I felt like I’d be sliding down the order but it is great to get the opportunity to be at the top of the order in white-ball cricket.
“I’m told it’s the fastest white-ball 50 for Somerset in Women’s T20. That’s pretty cool and I wouldn’t have guessed I would be the first to do that. I’m sure the girls will be itching to take the record off me as soon as possible.”
Women’s Vitality Blast 2026 Tier 2 – Middlesex vs Leicestershire; Worcestershire vs Northamptonshire – Team, Player Form Guides, Predictions – May 24
Vitality Blast Women League 2
Worcestershire Women vs Northamptonshire Women, Vitality Blast Women League 2
Middlesex Women vs Leicestershire Women, Vitality Blast Women League 2
© Cricket World 2026
