The Blaze’s treble charge shows no sign of slowing.
On a cool day at Trent Bridge, the Nottingham-based side brushed Somerset aside by six wickets in the Women’s One-Day Cup, tightening their grip on top spot and edging to within a single win of a home final on 19 September.
They made it look routine. It wasn’t.
Higham spins the screw
Somerset, still very much in the scrap for third and an eliminator place on 16 September, began with intent. Captain Sophie Luff, the anchor of their season, produced her fourth 50-over half-century of the campaign, holding an innings together that kept threatening to fall apart around her.
She worked the gaps, absorbed pressure, and kept Somerset moving towards something competitive. But The Blaze never let the game drift.
Lucy Higham changed the mood. The spinner gripped the ball and the contest, returning outstanding figures of 4-28. Every time Somerset tried to rebuild, Higham broke them up. Her spell cut through the middle order, stripping away any chance of a late surge.
Grace Ballinger and Kirstie Gordon backed her up with two wickets apiece, chipping away until Somerset were finally bowled out for 192. It was a total with just enough substance to ask questions, not enough to silence a side that has grown used to answering them.
Beaumont sets, Bryce and Jones finish
Chasing 193, The Blaze needed composure, not chaos. Tammy Beaumont supplied it.
The England opener, all timing and angles, put on a measured 39 at the top, blunting the new ball and setting the platform. Her innings didn’t explode; it didn’t need to. It simply gave the chase shape.
Once Beaumont departed, the tempo changed.
Sarah Bryce and Emma Jones took control and never let it go. Bryce, busy and precise, crafted an unbeaten 54 from 65 balls, steering the innings with the calm of a player who understands the stakes but refuses to show it. At the other end, Jones injected urgency, her 53 not out coming off just 44 deliveries.
They ran hard, picked off the bad balls, and refused to offer Somerset a way back. The partnership drained the tension from the afternoon. The Blaze crossed the line with 11.3 overs to spare, a statement as much as a victory.
Table-toppers under pressure – and thriving
The result keeps The Blaze five points clear at the top of the 50-over standings, still on course to add the Women’s One-Day Cup to their T20 Blast and County Cup titles in a season that has already delivered more than most squads dare to dream.
Around them, the chasing pack did their bit to keep the table alive.
Hampshire, second and already assured of a knockout berth, swept past Yorkshire by seven wickets to stay within range. Surrey hammered Essex by 118 runs, while Lancashire held their nerve in a three-run thriller against Durham at their new home on the outskirts of Preston.
The numbers tighten, the margins shrink, but The Blaze keep winning.
Southampton next – and no hiding place
Now comes the kind of fixture that defines seasons. On Wednesday, The Blaze travel to Southampton to face Hampshire, the side closest to them and already booked into the knockouts.
One win from their last two games is all The Blaze need to guarantee a return to Trent Bridge for the final. Hampshire would love nothing more than to delay that confirmation and twist the pressure just a little tighter.
Somerset, beaten but not broken, remain locked in that race for third with Warwickshire, chasing the eliminator spot and clinging to the knowledge that one good week can still change everything.
The Blaze, though, have made their intentions brutally clear. They are not just defending a lead. They are hunting a treble.
