Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Erin Thomas impressed with a senior career best 67 in Wednesday’s One-Day Cup win against Durham. Now, she turns her attention to the Vitality County T20 Cup.
Erin Thomas is relishing the prospect of tackling the “high adrenaline” Vitality County T20 Cup, which starts for Yorkshire against Somerset at Scarborough on Sunday (1pm).
The White Rose county – along with their fellow Tier 1 rivals, including Somerset – are into the competition at the third-round stage.
This FA Cup style straight knockout tournament brings together all three tiers in county cricket. Sides from Tiers 2 and 3 have been playing out the first two rounds, but now there are two more rounds to go before Finals Day at Emirates Old Trafford on Saturday August 29.
Yorkshire reached the quarter-finals last year as a Tier 2 side and head into this latest edition brimming with confidence having just beaten Durham in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup on Wednesday.
In that game, emerging top-order batter Thomas scored a senior career best 67.
“We’re really excited for Sunday,” said Thomas, 19. “The Durham win was a really good momentum shift.
“We spoke about it at the end of that first block in the Blast. We wanted to start off well in the 50-overs and kick on. Obviously this competition is part of that. We want to go as far as we can and hopefully try and win it.
“I like this format. Straight knockout, it’s high-adrenaline.
Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWPix.com. Claudie Cooper was one of the stars of last year’s third-round win over Essex at Headingley when Yorkshire were a Tier 2 side.
“T20 is like that anyway, but this is just a bit more high-pressure.”
In that game at Durham last Wednesday, Thomas bettered her previous senior career best score of 62 not out in last September’s Tier 2 Metro Bank final against Glamorgan at Worcester.
On that occasion, she opened the batting and hit eight fours and three sixes in 32 balls.
“She’s destructive, scores quickly and hits people off a good length. But she’s a proper batter. She can absorb pressure and bat for a long period of time, which is what we saw at Durham.
“It was a very mature innings, and I’m delighted for her. She’s been working hard, and it’s a nice to see a young batter kick on.”
Somerset head to Scarborough with four wins from 10 games to their name in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup. They are sixth in that competition with 18 points, two points and a place better off than Yorkshire. The White Rose have a game in hand.
Picture by Harry Trump/Getty Images. Sophie Luff has captained Somerset to two victories over Yorkshire already this season.
But it’s in T20 cricket that they have had most of their success in 2026. They have won four of six games to date and sit third in the table on 19 points, only one behind league leaders The Blaze. At the halfway stage of that competition, they hold one of the Finals Day qualifying positions.
Competition rules dictate that neither side will be able to field their overseas player; Yorkshire with Jess Jonassen and Somerset with fellow Australian Anika Learoyd.
Pyrah added: “We had a couple of good games in the County Cup last year. We obviously beat Essex as a Tier 2 side to reach the quarter-finals.
“It will be nice to go and play at Scarborough again, and it’s great isn’t it – knockout cricket is exciting, it’s fun.
