Durham Women are on the hunt for their first piece of silverware as they make their first appearance at T20 Blast Finals Day at The Kia Oval tomorrow, Friday 17 July.
Dani Hazell has named a squad of 14 for the historic trip to London as Durham take on Hampshire Hawks in the second semi-final at 2:30pm.
Lauren Filer is in line for a return to the side after a busy summer on England duty with her latest appearance in a Durham shirt coming against Surrey at The Oval on Wednesday 27 May.
Mady Villiers also comes back into the squad after making her Test debut against India at Lord’s last week.
Hazell’s side finished fourth in the women’s Vitality Blast group stage with 31 points from 12 games while Paul Prichard’s Hampshire side topped the table on 40 points.
Hollie Armitage is the competition’s second highest run scorer with 398 runs in 11 innings whilst Heather Graham’s 18 scalps put the Australian third in the T20 wicket charts.
Durham take on Hampshire following Surrey’s semi-final against The Blaze at 11am, with the winners of both ties meeting at 6:45pm in the Final.
Words from Dani Hazell
The group are feeling good, good to get down South, good to get outside today at the Oval and get some important practice in ahead of potentially two big games tomorrow.
We have had a good week with some good training sessions in Chester le Street along with some time away to make sure we are nice and fresh for Friday.
The mood in the group is good, if you can’t get up for a Final what can you get up for, getting to our first Finals Day is very exciting, the whole general mood around the camp is very good.
If you had given me Finals Day at the start of the year, we would have been really pleased with that but equally now is about wanting to compete and potentially win two games of cricket and that finishes the Blast season off extremely well.
To win on Friday would be a proud moment for the players, the club and everyone involved at Durham – it is now about doing what they have done for the last few weeks and making sure that when you get your moment you grab it.
Squad v Hampshire Hawks (17 July)
Hollie Armitage*, Lauren Filer, Katherine Fraser, Abi Glen, Heather Graham, Bess Heath, Trudy Johnson, Katie Levick, Emma Marlow, Mia Rogers+, Grace Thompson, Sophia Turner, Mady Villiers, Emily Windsor.
Opposition Corner
Captain: Georgia Adams
Overseas players: Amanda-Jade Wellington (Australia, all)
2025 finish: 6th
2025 leading run-scorer: Ella McCaughan (327)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Bex Tyson (16 wickets)
Key winter moves: Ellyse Perry might have brought star power last year, but her overseas replacement, Amanda-Jade Wellington, offers almost guaranteed game-changing moments. Freya Davies retired, and Mary Taylor decamped to Warwickshire, so there is more fast bowling pressure on Daisy Gibb and Poppy Tulloch to step up.
The big question: Can Ella McCaughan restart from where she left off? The opening batter was on course for an all-timer campaign by beginning with three fifties in a row before striking the women’s competition’s maiden century. A season-ending injury stopped the run-fest in its tracks. A full campaign of that quality will only increase talk of higher honours.
Wildcard watch: Francesca Sweet. When she signed in the winter, the hope was that all-rounder Sweet would fill a hole in the depleted bowling ranks. In the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, it has turned out that batting is her stronger suit. She has all the attributes to be a powerful finisher, which could turn matches in Hampshire’s favour and earn the attention of The Hundred recruiters.
Final thought: This year’s Blast is a difficult one to predict, with it coinciding with the T20 World Cup. The Hawks’ non-internationals look in a far better position than a year ago to compete at this level, especially with Naomi Dattani now fit, and youngsters becoming more consistent. Bettering their disappointing sixth-place finish shouldn’t be difficult, and they should be in the mix for a Finals Day place.
Match Centre
The Club’s match centre will be in operation for the fixture with live scorecards, statistics & video highlights as they happen. You can watch the game live via Durham’s match centre and the Sky Sports Cricket channel. Durham Cricket will have full coverage on social media, with a full match report at the close.