Durham Women are looking to start with back-to-back wins in the Metro Bank One Day Cup when taking on The Blaze tomorrow at Banks Homes Riverside.
Danielle Hazell has named an unchanged squad of 14 from Wednesday’s historic nine wicket victory against Essex in the season opener.
Suzie Bates and captain Hollie Armitage both made half-centuries against Essex and will look to continue their promising start to the season whilst Phoebe Turner will also hope to build on her four-wicket haul.
Durham Academy all-rounder Grace Thompson keeps her place in the squad after taking figures of 2/34 on professional debut.
Sophia Turner, Trudy Johnson and Mia Rogers are in contention for a Durham List A debut whilst Lauren Filer, Emily Windsor and Lizzie Scott remain unavailable due to injury.
Words from Danielle Hazell
(On the Essex game) It was built up to be a really big day and quite rightly. We’re really pleased to get a win on the board with some really good performances. We want to keep pushing forwards into Sunday but I’m really proud of how we’ve gone about things.
It was a big occasion for the club and the players. Grace (Thompson) lit it up and that’s nothing that we didn’t expect. She’s had a really good pre-season and has earned the right to be out there. A Durham lass getting the first Durham wicket was a proud moment for the club.
(On Suzie Bates) You can’t buy experience but you can go a long way to doing that. For me as a coach, it’s hard to look past. She looked really calm and I think that helped Hollie churn out another performance for us. I think it’s a good foundation for Sunday against The Blaze.
Squad v The Blaze (23 April)
Hollie Armitage*, Suzie Bates, Leah Dobson, Katherine Fraser, Abi Glen, Bess Heath+, Trudy Johnson, Katie Levick, Emma Marlow, Mia Rogers, Grace Thompson, Phoebe Turner, Sophia Turner, Mady Villiers
Opposition Corner
Captain: Kirstie Gordon
Head Coach: Craig Cumming
The big questions: After winning their first trophy in the 2024 Charlotte Edwards Cup, how will The Blaze fare now that head coach Chris Guest has left to lead England’s Under-19s Women? Can successor Craig Cumming, the ex-New Zealand Test batter, duplicate his success with Otago Sparks after two domestic 50-over titles in three years?
Player to watch: The return of former Loughborough Lightning captain Georgia Elwiss to the East Midlands after four trophy-laden seasons with Southern Vipers adds proven experience and availability to The Blaze squad. The 33-year-old former England all-rounder’s 2024 campaign was among the best of her career, including 488 runs at 69.71 in the 50-over competition.
Young gun: Josie Groves has taken 20 List A wickets in the past two seasons yet the leg spinner has only just turned 20 and is still looking to realise her full potential both as a bowler and batter. An Under-19s World Cup finalist, she is likely to have a big part to play this season.
Final thought: Last year’s 20-over champions and 50-over finalists two years ago, The Blaze have added a fourth current England player in Amy Jones to the squad with all-rounders Orla Prendergast (Ireland) and Heather Graham (Australia) sharing overseas duties. Stung by failing to make the knock-out stage in last season’s 50-over competition, they will be eager to put that right.
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 Durham’s YouTube channel. Durham Cricket will have full coverage on social media, with a full match report at the close.