By Grockle
July 13 2025

Dani Gibson returns to the Somerset side for this 12th game in the Blast.  She may only be in as a bat - unsure whether she is fit enough to bowl yet.  Somerset have won the toss and will field first.  Smith and Capsey will open the batting and Olivia Barnes and Chloe Skelton will open the bowling.

Women's Blast Game 12 - v Surrey @ The Oval Sunday 13 July 2025

A hard day for the women as it's bottom facing top at home. Surrey have already qualified for the next round while Somerset are looking for their second win in the competition.

Dani Gibson returns to the side - at least as a bat maybe not yet as a full blown bowler but we will see.  It is good to see her back after a long injury.  Somerset won the toss and will bowl first against a very strong Surrey line-up;

The Somerset side is;

Odgers, Holland, Davis, Wilson, Gibson, Griffiths, Wellington, Skelton, Robbindsd, Barnes, Vikusic so Jess Hazell  misses out and Bex Odgers will keep.

Alice Capsey and captain Smith come out to face the opening bowling of Olivia Barnes and Mollie Robbins.  Barnes starts and goes for 5 followed Skelton. Smith goes for her and Surrey have added 19 to the score before Smith mistimes one and it goes to Alex Griffiths who takes an excellent catch to send the skipper on her way.  24 for at the end of the second brings Chatli in earlier than she probably would have expected.

Erin Vikusic comes on for the third and although Capsey is into her batting, the young Croatian sends the Surrey keeper back to the dressing room without adding to the score at 31 for 2 as she tries to reverse 'ramp; and bowls herslef.  Erin starts with 1 for 8.  

Surry see Grace Harris at the crease early and in the 5th over Mollie Robbins returns having given away 13  from her first over. It doesn't look any better as the home side go past 50 to 53 taking 10 from the strike bowler's second.  However the last ball is better and Harris is LBW in front stepping back and the 'Powerplay' ends with 53 for 3. 

Monaghan joins the on from Capsey as Amanda-Jade Wellington starts her bowling day and she is dangerous from ball 1.  She goes for 4.  Griffiths takes the 8th and Surrey moves to 68 for 3 as Alex goes for 9 runs from 1 legal delivery.

Rather than giving Wellington another over they choose Chloe Skelton and the decision is a good one as Skleton gets Capsey caught behind (she didn't think she had hit it).  Excellent catch from Odgers whether she hit is or not and it is 68 for 4 and in comes Jones.

By the 10th over, Monagahan (with the first six of the game) and Jones move the score to 80 for 4 with the former on 19 from 12 and Jones with 2 from 7.  Barnes returns for the 11th after Wellington takes a bit of 'tap' in her second.  Skelton is the significant bowler for the first half taking 2 wickets for 6 from half of her allocation.

Monaghan hits another six from Griffiths in the 12th as Surrey move to 96 and looks at 3 figures.  Skelton returns and Jones gets into the six hitting mode sending the first of the 12th all the way.  The 100 arrives and Jones has gone up a gear.  Chloe goes for 14 with 3 boundaries at 110 for 4 with 7 to go.  A strong front end has to be kept in control if Somerset are to stay in this game.

Vikusic is back for the 14th and it is 119 after that one.  Wellington is back on as the Surrey pair add 51 in just under 6 overs.  Monaghan gets her third six to move the score relentlessly on to 133 with 5 to go and move herself into the 40s.  Erin continues a good spell but she can't stop a 4th six from the Surrey bat to go to her best professional score of 48 (beating the old one of 44).  142 for 4 with 4 to go. Alice Monaghan is on 49 from 25 balls while Jones has moved on at a run a ball to 28.

Griffiths takes the 17th.  Monaghan gets her maiden 50 from 27 at 145 for 4 and she has taken this innings back from the visitors and probably pushed the score above a total Somerset can reach.  These two have put on 82 runs as they reach 150  for 4 after being 68 for 4.

152 with 6 wickets in hand with 3 overs to go so Surrey will be looking at a 170 plus score as Wellington looks to bowl out (0 for 29 presently).  Emma Jones is playing games with the Aussie moving about the crease and being folowed by the bowler.  The third ball is hit straight back and Wellington simply catches the ball as if it was nothing.  She really hit that.  Jones goes for a run a ball 34 at 153 for 5.  In comes Franklin and she gets a huge top edge which lands perfectly in the middle between keeper and bowlre and she gets away with it.

The next drive bounces off Holland's shin and goes nearly all the way across the wicket and there is a near run out.  Nothing comes of it but a run and Wellington ends with 1 for 33.  Barnes bowls out in the 19th and finishes with 4 overs for 28 to end at 164 with 6 balls to go from Erin Vikusic.

Holland is in the wars as she saves four more runs in the covers.  Franklin hits the slow ball for four... she really had to wait for it and she takes the score into the 170's.  She walks across the stumps again and is bowled by Erin for 15 from 11 who demolishes her leg stump.  Moore faces one ball and Surrey end on 175 for 6 and Somerset will need the highest score of their T20 season to get the four points here.   Vikusic  finishes with 2 for 37 and Monaghan finishes not out with 57 from 32.  Johan Myburg (the Surrey coach) will be very happy with that after the first 10 overs put them under the cosh.  

The Reply

Alexa Stonehouse opens the bowling to Odgers and Holland with a RRR of 9 an over.  Bex finally gets hold of one with the 4th ball and sends the ball to the boundary for a one bounce four.  The first over goes for 5.  Moore will open from the other end.  Odgers is looking good as she moves to 10 but she gets a thick outside edge and is caught at Third by Alexa Stonehouse to retire at 11 for 1 bringing Ruby Davis to the crease.   It's disappointing because the opener kiddled every ball she faced except the last one.

Stonehouse continues and Davis would have been run out if Moore had hit with some very sharp fielding as she ran on the stroke and then had to get back.  13 for 1 after 3 and it has to be said that Somerset do not look confident as a batting unit at the moment to be honest while Surrey look very sharp in the field. 

The real impression is that the Surrey unit are a professional unit of switched on cricketers who all know their roles while Somerset are still in the process of learning what that actually means in their first year.  That sharp consistency is still eluding them in the South West.

McDonald-Gay is in for the 4th and her first ball removes Davis' leg stump out of the ground.  21 for 2 and she goes for 9 from 10. Let's hope Fran Wilson is not run out early today as she was in the last game as Stonehouse continues.  A point has been made that Naimh Holland is the youngest captain of Somerset for the women ever at only 20 taking over in the absence of Sophie Luff.

The Somerset pair are all over the place halfway through the 5th when they find themselves both at the same end and Surrey panic and don't break the stumps!!  Little communication between the batting pairs recently!!

McDonald-Gay's second get some punishment from Holland with consecutive fours after a first ball boundary to add from Wilson.  The 'Powerplay' reaches 37 for 2 with Wilson on 6 (5) and Holland on 11 (12).  The run rate is up to 10 and Franklin is introduced for the 7th

Wilson seems to like the bowling of Franklin as she cuts her again and again moving to 13.  45 for 2 as she goes for 8.  A spin introduction as Gregory comes on for the 8th to see if she can get movement from the pavilion end.  She can, clean bowling Holland taking out the middle stump as the bat tries to move across the stumps and flip the ball to the leg side.  This brings Gibson in for her first game in four months.  She didn't bowl but we are all hoping she can bat!! 45 for 3 in the 8th.

The 50 arrives with the 5th ball of the 8th as the RRR continues to rise even when Somerset are taking 8 from each one.  It does not get better as Jones catches Wilson off Moore as she hits straight but not far enough.  She goes for 18 from 14 and that may very well be the game from the batting side's point of view at 51 for 4.  Amanda-Jade Wellington arrives as the visitor's last real hope of a significant partnership.

Surrey are looking to win with a bonus point (restricting Somerset to less than 140) which will move them straight into the Final in a fortnight (at home).

At the halfway point of the second innings with Gregory finishing the 10th, Somerset are struggling against tight Surrey infielding and it is 64 for 4 with 10 overs to come.  Somerset need 112 from half the overs left.  The 11.2 RRR is still going up.

Capsey comes into the attack and the Surrey fielding is keeping the ball away from the boundary and continuing to push up the pressure.  They simply cannot get it through the infield cordon often enough. Wellington steps 3 stumps outside her off leg stump and sweeps Capsey to the boundary for four.  The Aussie is being aggressive in what might be a losing battle but the belief is in the Somerset bat's mind at least.  11 overs ends at 75 for 4 with Wellington taking the lead role.  Gibson tries to go with her but she skies it a bit and McDonald-Gay gets a second wicket via the catch from Moore.  She goes for 9 at 75 for 5.  Alex Griffiths strides out needing just over 100 in 9 overs.

82 for 5 after 12 with a 'chinese cut' four from the penultimate ball of the last.  Stonehouse returns to bowl out having only gone for 12 from her 3.  She finishes with 0 for 16 as Somerset reach the halfway stage of the total.  Franklin returns but the boundaries don't and Wellington hits striaght but without conviction.  That gives Capsey the chance of getting the catch and she completes it one handed in full dive mode!!  Excellent catch from the England player.  She goes for 21 from 13 at 89 for 6 and as Skelton comes out it's pretty much game over for the visiting side.  She cuts her second ball from Franklin and Stonehouse takes an instinctive catch at backward point dimissing the bat without scoring - 90 for 7.  First class fielding.

Robbins is in to finish the 14th with 86 runs still needed with 36 balls to come.  The job should now be to bat out the 20 overs, winning this is not an option.  Getting to 140 plus and denying Surrey the bonus point qwqould also be an objective but may again  be a 'bridge too far'.

Mollie is not there for long as Gregory sends her back with a stumping for 1 off 3 balls with the help of Chatli.  96 for 8 and it's almost over.  Olivia Barnes is the next in and an edged four from her takes Somerset over the 100 to 101 for 8.  A Griffiths four at the end of the 17th takes the score to 106 for 8. 

Danni Gregory bowls out in the 18th and she gets her third wicket bowling Griffiths for 19 from 18 with the 3rd of the over.  107 for 9 becomes 107 all out as she cleans up Vikusic first ball.

To copin the commentators  "Professional and Resounding" win.  Somerset were simply outclassed after the first 10 overs of the game.  They were in it until then but where they struggles to maintain that consistent professional level, Surrey kept it going all the way through and were the deserved winners very clearly indeed.

It will take a damn good side to stop them winning the whole thing in the first season. They are already the finished article while Somerset are very much not yet!!

Women's Blast - Gibson back for Surrey game

Discussion started by Grockles.com , 13/07/2025 11:18

Grockles.com
13/07/2025 11:18

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:07:16:12:57:48 by Grockle.

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Grockle
13/07/2025 13:32

The obvious discrepencies in the women's sides in this first season could not be more obvious in this game.

First playing last in the Blast shows the difference between a set of experienced professional cricketers who all know their roles and execute them consistently well versus a team still looking to find its feet with personal uncertainty about what to do and when to do it. With that lack of consistent excellence but with glimpses of what could be in the future.

Women cricketers against girls today at times I'm afraid

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Loyal of Lhasa
14/07/2025 22:43

I was at Sunday's match with two of my grandsons and we were all rather disappointed by the performance of the Somerset Women. A-JW apart, too much of their batting consisted of cross-batted swipes that resembled what is to be seen on junior school playgrounds. Bowling and fielding were not of the standard demonstrated by Surrey, but I don't want to be too critical, recognising that Surrey are vastly better resourced and that factor combined with the sheer size of The Oval may have had an initimidating effect on Somerset's less experienced players.

LoL

Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter

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ColinNo11
15/07/2025 12:02

Yes. I went to watch our home game against the Bears and was surprised at the poor standard, of fielding in particular, of both sides with a number of easy catches dropped and misfields giving away precious runs. And yet the Somerset player interviewed after the game said she was happy with our bowling and fielding. I know that the England team got some stick for poor catching and fielding, so I had thought there would have been more focus on this aspect of the game. Clearly it will take some time to build up the strength in depth that exists in the men's game, but more attention to some of the basics - before trying ramp shots, etc for example - might pay dividends in terms of short term improvement.

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Grockle
15/07/2025 19:37

Have said before I think winter training in a full time female professional cricket unit may be an eye opener for some & a steep learning curve for others

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