Middlesex Women head to Cheltenham tomorrow for their final Vitality Blast group fixture, taking on Gloucestershire at The College Ground.
Head Coach, Marc Broom, has named a squad of 13 for the clash, with three changes from the side that defeated Kent last week. Sonali Patel, Sarah Pearson, and Katie Wolfe all return, in place of Hannah Davis, Gayatri Gole, and Georgia Irving.
Middlesex were dominant once again against Kent, claiming a 41-run victory. Gole starred with the bat, striking her maiden T20 half-century with a career-best 61 off 37 deliveries. With the ball, it was another all-round effort, with wickets shared across the attack. Issy Routledge was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 1/12 from her four overs, while captain, Saskia Horley, claimed 2/28, and both are included in tomorrow’s squad.
That win, followed by Glamorgan’s defeat to Kent yesterday, confirmed Middlesex’s place at the top of the Tier Two South table, securing a Finals Day spot in Northamptonshire on 26 July.
Gloucestershire, meanwhile, sit at the foot of the table with one win to their name, also over Kent. In their last outing, they fell to a 65-run defeat against Sussex, with Meg Ahearne top-scoring, finishing unbeaten on 31.
Tomorrow marks the third meeting between Middlesex and Gloucestershire this season, but the first away from Radlett. Middlesex won both previous encounters convincingly. In the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, centuries from Finty Trussler and Artemis Downer propelled Middlesex to a 208-run win, with their partnership equalling the all-time List A record for the county.
In the Blast, Trussler was again in fine form, scoring a record-breaking 90 in a 167-run opening stand with Routledge, which was the highest-ever partnership for Middlesex Women in T20 cricket. Routledge’s unbeaten 80 was the second-highest T20 score in Middlesex Women’s history, and she also matched the county record for most catches in a T20 innings, with four.
MIDDLESEX SQUAD V GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Play is scheduled to get underway at 2:30pm in Cheltenham. You can keep up with all the action throughout the match via our social media channels and the Match Centre on the Club’s website.
With the top spot already secured, here’s to one last Blast before heading to Northamptonshire for our first glimpse of silverware.
Gloucestershire Women
Middlesex Women
