Middlesex Women strengthened their position at the top of the table, and cemented their place at Finals Day, with a dominant 41-run win over Kent in the Vitality Blast at The Spitfire Ground yesterday.
Another strong showing with the bat saw Middlesex post 163/7. Gaya Gole was the standout performer, bringing up her maiden T20 half-century on her way to a career-best 61 from just 37 balls. Finty Trussler added an impressive 39 from 33 deliveries, while Pippa Sproul and Georgia Irving bolstered the total with valuable contributions at a run a ball late in the innings.
With the ball, Middlesex made early breakthroughs to put Kent on the back foot. While a resilient partnership between Grace Poole and Elsa Barnfather steadied the hosts, they struggled to match the required rate and were ultimately restricted to 122/8. The wickets were well spread across the attack, with Issy Routledge, Lauren Turner, Anaya Patel, Rachana Cambampaty, and Hannah Davis each picking up one, while Saskia Horley claimed 2/28. Routledge was the pick of the bowlers, the most economical, finishing with outstanding figures of 1/12 from her four overs.
Put in to bat, Routledge and Trussler opened. Despite losing Routledge early, caught by Isabella James off Zeena Bilal for 1, Middlesex produced another strong powerplay performance. As Gole joined Trussler in the middle, the pair settled quickly and took the side to 50/1 after six overs, adding another 40 by the halfway point. Gole was particularly ruthless, reaching her maiden half-century in 32 balls.
Trussler was eventually dismissed for 39, caught by Kent skipper, Megan Belt, off Isobel Kirby, and Gole followed the next over, bowled by Ella Darlington. When Horley departed shortly after, Middlesex were 115/4 at the end of the 14th over.
Sproul and Irving then steadied things and added vital runs, both going at a run a ball, before Sproul was dismissed for 24, while Irving remained unbeaten on 11 from 11. Despite three wickets falling in the final two overs, Middlesex finished strongly, with Davis hitting the final run to close on 163/7.
With the ball in hand, Middlesex were sharp in the field once again. Darlington was run out for 1 in the first over thanks to Trussler and Sproul. The second over yielded just a single run from Routledge, before Turner struck with her first delivery, bowling Tilly Callaghan for a duck to leave Kent 3/2 early in the third.
Poole and Barnfather responded positively, batting with intent to take Kent to 63/2 at the halfway stage. The breakthrough, however, came in the next over, courtesy of Horley, who had Barnfather caught by Irving for 35. Poole followed soon after for 39, caught by Davis off Patel’s bowling.
Kent were 95/4 with five overs to go, still needing 69 runs. Turner took a fine catch to give Davis her first wicket, Cambampaty and Horley added one each, and Routledge picked up a deserved scalp in the final over, with Bilal stumped by Sproul for 8, as Kent closed on 122/8.
This second win over Kent in the competition puts Middlesex firmly at the top of the Vitality Blast Tier Two South table, with just one game to go, against Gloucestershire next week.
It also cements our place at Finals Day in Northamptonshire on July 26, and we look forward to seeing you there.
Kent Women
Middlesex Women
