Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Holly Garton celebrates dismissing The Blaze’s Marie Kelly with captain Lauren Winfield-Hill, who had earlier top-scored for Yorkshire with 29.
Yorkshire Women v The Blaze, Vitality Blast, Sunday July 12, 2026, 11.30am, Headingley
Toss: Yorkshire won it and elected to bat.
Teams: Yorkshire – Erin Thomas, Ami Campbell, Lauren Winfield-Hill c/w, Jess Jonassen, Sterre Kalis, Sarah Glenn, Alice Clarke, Beth Langston, Hannah Rainey, Holly Garton, Jess Woolston.
The Blaze – Marie Kelly, Sarah Bryce w, Kathryn Bryce, Charli Knott, Georgia Elwiss, Emma Jones, Kirstie Gordon c, Josie Groves, Lucy Higham, Grace Ballinger, Charley Phillips.
Summary: Yorkshire ended their Vitality Blast campaign with an entertaining, low-scoring three-wicket defeat to title hopefuls The Blaze, who chased 123 but not without significant alarm.
Yorkshire’s bid for a campaign-ending fourth successive win was hamstrung as Grace Ballinger claimed three wickets, Charley Phillips and Kirstie Gordon two added to a couple of run outs.
Lauren Winfield-Hill top-scored with 29 in the White Rose’s last fixture until mid-August because of The Hundred. But they fought back brilliantly with the ball
Already qualified for Friday’s Finals Day, The Blaze slipped to 41-5 in the eighth over, with teenaged leg-spinner Holly Garton striking twice.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Jess Jonassen at the crease for Yorkshire this afternoon.
However, the presence of Australian overseas all-rounder Charli Knott was key. Having returned 1-19 from four overs of off-spin, she steered her side home with five balls to spare thanks to a career best 84 not out off 57 balls with 11x4s and one six.
Match Report: New-ball seamer Charley Phillips had Ami Campbell caught at mid-wicket in the opening over, one of three similar dismissals as Yorkshire fell to 89-4 in the 13th over.
Jess Jonassen hit two eye-catching boundaries down the ground off the other new-ball bowler Grace Ballinger but fell for 23 to the last ball of the powerplay when chipping Gordon’s left-arm spin to mid-on.
Opener Erin Thomas later miscued Ballinger to mid-off, also on 23, before captain Lauren Winfield-Hill was lbw to Charli Knott having advanced confidently to 29.
Yorkshire then came a cropper just as they were looking to accelerate.
Sarah Glenn and Alice Clarke fell in the 16th over, leaving the score at 104-6. Glenn was caught at deep backward square-leg pulling at Phillips and Clarke run out.
Gordon struck again as The Blaze continued to thrive before three wickets fell in Ballinger’s last over of the innings, including another run out.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Ami Campbell and Erin Thomas prepare to bat against The Blaze.
The left-arm swing bowler bowled Sterre Kalis for 23 and Jess Woolston to wrap up the innings with a ball to spare.
Yorkshire then opened the bowling with spin and gave themselves real hope by reducing The Blaze to 24-4 inside five overs.
Sarah Bryce was caught behind to a turning delivery from teenaged leg-spinner Holly Garton, who struck with her first ball for the second game running before adding the scalp of Marie Kelly caught at mid-on. Sandwiched in between, Jonassen bowled Kathryn Bryce.
England’s Glenn trapped Georgia Elwiss lbw with her leg-spin. But Knott, in at four, hit four of her first six balls to the boundary.
And her presence at the crease proved key, despite losing Emma Jones bowled pulling at Woolston’s seam – 41-5 in the eighth.
When Knott reached her fifty in 36 balls, The Blaze were 72-5 in the 14th over and she had captain Gordon for company. The sixth-wicket pair chipped away at the target rather than raced to it.
Woolston had Gordon caught at mid-off for 24 to end a 75-run stand before Langston bowled Josie Groves.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Lauren Winfield-Hill en-route to an innings0high 29.
It meant that, at 119-7, The Blaze needed four from the last over, with Knott edging a boundary to third with the first ball from Hannah Rainey.
Turning Point: As wickets fell around her, Charli Knott’s presence at the crease was key for The Blaze, who recovered from 41-5 to chase 123 with five balls left.
Magic Moment: For the second game running, teenaged leg-spinner Holly Garton struck with her first ball. Having got Meg Lanning caught behind against Lancashire on Friday, she got Sarah Bryce the same way today at the start of the second over of Yorkshire’s defence of 123.
Stat of the Match: Yorkshire have ended their Blast campaign with three wins from 12 games added to eight defeats and a No Result.
What they said – Yorkshire captain Lauren Winfield-Hill: “It wasn’t a traditional Headingley wicket. I thought it was a bit slower and lower. I reckon we were 15 short and then we probably didn’t field very well.
“We did well to take it to the last over, but there were some basic balls that we dived over which could have been stopped.
“It’s been a bit of a theme, you know. The games that there’s not much in, usually it comes back to our fielding. When you’ve got such a small total on the board and you’re under par, you’ve got to make sure that you’re stopping them in the ring.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. The Blaze take to the field at Headingley this morning. They will head to Finals Day on Friday bidding to better last year’s semi-final finish.
“Charli played beautifully for them. It was pretty chanceless, though I don’t think we bowled well at her at times.
“She moved around the crease, and we just sort of came away from what was working, probably for only a few balls.
“But there were probably three balls that all went for four, and that’s 12 runs. That’s the difference in a low-scoring affair.“Holly just keeps it simple, doesn’t she. She repeats what she’s doing and doesn’t get fazed. She’s been awesome for us.”
What’s next: County cricket now breaks for the The Hundred, meaning Yorkshire don’t play again until August 19 when they face Warwickshire at Edgbaston in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup. That will be the first of six remaining games in the summer.
