Durham Women will be looking to bounce back after their opening day defeat when they take on Lancashire Thunder in the first of a double header day at Banks Homes Riverside on Sunday. [1pm]
Dani Hazell’s side fell to a 42-run defeat against Birmingham Bears on Saturday at Edgbaston after Laura Harris’ 55 off 21 balls helped the Bears post a formidable 193 in 20 overs.
Hazell has made one change to the 13 which travelled to the East Midlands as Lauren Filers returns to the England squad ahead of their Metro Bank One Day Cup fixture against West Indies on Wednesday in Leicester.
Sophia Turner has been added to the squad – and is the only addition for Sunday’s clash.
Leah Dobson, Emily Windsor, Lizzie Scott remain unavailable for selection due to injury.
Words from Dani Hazell
It was a pretty special innings from Laura Harris. We did a lot of things right in that first half. That innings was probably the difference in the game. We fought well but sometimes you have just got to hold your hands up and say that was pretty special from an opposition player.
You could say that we maybe slightly missed our lengths at the start but there are times when you just run into something special like that in Twenty20 cricket and we have just got to dust ourselves off and go again against Lancashire back at home on Sunday.
To get to 150 having been 15 for three is a huge positive but it is all about winning games of cricket so we have got to learn from this and take all that learning into the game tomorrow. We have to move forward very quickly with the busy schedule so we have to learn quickly.
Squad v Lancashire Thunder (1 June)
Hollie Armitage*, Suzie Bates, 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: Ellie Threlkeld
Overseas player: Katie Mack (Australia, first three group matches), Alana King (Australia, from match four onwards)
Key winter moves: Lancashire were busy ahead of 2025. Eve Jones arrived and is currently one of county cricket’s in-form batters. She’s been joined by England fringe fast bowler Grace Potts and Scotland spinner Darcey Carter. Batter Katie Mack will start the Blast before being replaced by one of the competition’s standout overseas signings, her fellow Australian Alana King, the superstar leg-spinner.
The big question: Lancashire have started the summer brilliantly, winning six of eight matches in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, before lifting the T20 County Cup. Can they transfer that momentum into the Blast? If so, they will definitely be a force. They look to be well balanced, with strength across all disciplines. In the regional era, Thunder’s only knockout cricket came courtesy of a 2023 Charlotte Edwards Cup Finals Day appearance.
Wildcard watch: Left-armer Sophie Morris is another one off a Lancashire spin-bowling conveyor belt which has nurtured Sophie Ecclestone, Olivia Bell and Hannah Jones in recent times. The 21-year-old played in the regional Charlotte Edwards Cup during the last two summers and, in a 2022 Academy T20 friendly, returned an astonishing 6-0. Her maiden senior five-for came against Durham earlier this month.
Final thought: Ashes rivals, Thunder team-mates. You could well see a spin bowling partnership of Sophie Ecclestone and Alana King during this summer’s Vitality Blast. Aussie leggie King loves Emirates Old Trafford. In 2021, she took a hat-trick there whilst playing for Trent Rockets in The Hundred, a particularly proud moment given it was at the scene of her idol Shane Warne’s ball of the century to Mike Gatting in 1993.
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 match will also be available on Durham’s YouTube channel. Durham Cricket will have full coverage on social media, with a full match report at the close.