Middlesex Women head to Northampton tomorrow for the Tier Two Vitality Blast Finals Day at the County Ground.
Head Coach, Marc Broom, has named a squad of 13 for the occasion, with three changes from the side that defeated Gloucestershire last week. Hannah Davis, Gaya Gole, and Georgia Irving return to the fold as Middlesex look to close out a superb Blast campaign on a high.
Middlesex will arrive in Northampton off the back of a dramatic one-run win over Gloucestershire in their final group game. Saskia Horley starred once again with a crucial 45 from just 27 balls, before the bowling unit and some sharp fielding, most notably a final-ball run-out from Riva Pindoria and Pippa Sproul, sealed a nail-biting finish.
Having topped the Tier Two South table, Middlesex will take on Leicestershire Foxes in the first semi-final, scheduled to get underway at 11am. Leicestershire finished second in the North group, winning four of their eight matches, and booked their Finals Day spot with a 16-run win over Derbyshire Falcons last week, in which Lucy Weston hit a half-century. They will also be buoyed by Francesca Sweet, the current leading run-scorer in the competition with 258 runs. Middlesex’s Horley sits just behind her on 247.
This will be Middlesex’s first meeting with Leicestershire in any format this season. The winner will progress to the final, where they will face either Yorkshire or Glamorgan, who meet in the second semi-final at 2:30pm.
A final against Glamorgan would set up a fitting decider between two familiar foes. The sides have met twice already in the Blast this season, with one win apiece. Middlesex edged the first encounter at Merchant Taylors’ School thanks to a composed finish from Horley, who hit the winning runs off the penultimate ball as Middlesex secured a nail-biting four-wicket victory. Glamorgan, however, struck back more recently, defeating Middlesex by 30 runs at Colwyn Bay, which was our only defeat in the competition. Meanwhile, Glamorgan’s only other defeat came at the hands of Kent last week, with the result confirming their second-place finish in the South group.
A clash with Yorkshire, on the other hand, would be uncharted territory for Middlesex. Yorkshire dominated the North group with a perfect record, winning all eight matches and collecting bonus points in six. Their squad will be strengthened by the availability of Lauren Winfield-Hill and Sterre Kalis, who have been on loan at Essex and Warwickshire, respectively. They will undoubtedly provide tough opposition as they look ahead to Tier One status in 2026.
MIDDLESEX SQUAD
Our semi-final begins at 11am, with the final following at 6:45pm. You can follow all the action throughout the day via our social media channels and the Match Centre on the Club’s website.
Here’s to a memorable Finals Day, and the chance to crown an outstanding campaign with silverware.
Middlesex Women
Leicestershire Foxes Women
