What The Blazes! Dampeners.

 

05/09

Here's one just for the Blaze fan, Pravda says:

Heavy rain put a dampener on The Blaze's return to the Metro Bank Women's One Day Cup competition, as Blaze captain Kirstie Gordon and Surrey skipper Bryony Smith shook hands at 2pm upon recognising play would be unable to resume.

With fixtures across the country likely to be affected by poor weather, the Blaze and Surrey (placed third and fourth respectively on the ladder) were hoping for an opportunity to gain ground on their opposition, but settled for two points each as only 16 overs were managed before rain forced players from the field.

The Blaze welcomed Orla Prendergast back into the fold, replacing Heather Graham as their internatioinal player, who returned to Australia after the conclusion of The Hundred.

Losing a delayed toss, The Blaze were sent in to bat by Surrey - who made a fast start with the ball, striking twice in the first three overs. 

Sarah Bryce (4) was caught pulling off Alexa Stonehouse, who then trapped Georgie Boyce (10) lbw in her next over to have the Blaze in early trouble at 17-2.

Kathryn Bryce (3) was then bowled by Tilly Corteen-Coleman, which brang Georgia Elwiss to the crease with Prendergast.

The two managed to steady the nerves of the homeside for a number of overs, before Prendergast (17) was caught on the rope by Kalea Moore, The Blaze 52-4 with 12 overs bowled.

Michaela Kirk (1) fell in the 13th over, before rain forced players from the field at the commencement of the 16th over. An early lunch was taken while poor weather continued, before captains decided to shake hands and call it a draw soon after.

The Blaze travel to Somerset, before hosting Durham, and travelling to Essex to round out their Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign, with a finals berth very much within reach.

The calandar and the weather have no respect for gender anymore that it does for planned human activities - playing cricket into September can always be tricky - always has been and that's why thirty or more years ago, competitions were all being wrapped-up by this point.

The harvest was in, the kids were back at school. Why expect the natural seasons to bend over for the cricket schedulers and their money driven season?

Weather changes, year on year and this year they're saying that we're about six weeks ahead (of perhaps the seasonal average)- my garden would concur with that. Rain and washouts will be perhaps the norm from now on in the 2025 cricket season.

12/08

Subtle changes introduced for women's domestic competitions amid Yorkshire's promotion

The nine teams will still play 28 group stage matches across the T20 Blast and One Day Cup, but the split has been tweaked and will see two fewer T20 games and two more 50-over matches

Oscar Rees 

The split between Women's T20 Blast and One Day Cup tier one group stage matches has been tweaked for 2026.

Despite Yorkshire's elevation, the nine teams will play 28 group stage matches across the competitions, the same as this summer.

But there will now be 12 T20 Blast matches, two fewer than this season, and 16 One Day Cup games, an addition of two. 

Both tier two competitions will be played in one group, which means a scrapping of the north and south divide in League Two of the Blast. Teams will play one fewer game than the 17 they will play this season.

The Cricketer reported last month that tweaks to the women's domestic schedule for 2026 were expected, with fewer doubleheaders expected when the scheduled is unveiled in November.

Beth Barrett-Wild, director of the women's professional game for the ECB, said: "We have enjoyed a successful first season of the new women's county structure and it is exciting to plan out the next edition when Yorkshire will join tier one.

"The changes for 2026 were developed in consultation with the game and the players. The player representatives did voice a desire to increase the volume of cricket, to allow an even home-and-away T20 Blast in tier one, but also recognised the scheduling challenges that would cause."

The schedule for 2027 will likely need changing again when Glamorgan become the 10th tier one county.

"There was always going to be a settling-in period across tiers one and two during these first few seasons, and these changes are set to be for next summer only, with a planned review again ahead of the 2027 season, when Glamorgan will move from tier two into tier one," Barrett-Wild added. 

"This will also follow another phase of learning as the new women’s competitions embed into the overall county structure."

There will be changes to the knockout structures of the four competitions, with the Blast Finals Days essentially swapping format.

The tier one Women's Blast knockout stages will now include two semi-finals, as opposed to just one between the second and third-placed teams in the table. The T20 Blast Women's League Two Finals Day will meanwhile be changed to an Eliminator and Final.

They will differ across tiers in the One Day Cup, too, with four teams progressing to two semi-finals in tier two and just three, with an Eliminator, for tier one. 

The T20 changes were agreed upon after a vote, which was independent of the one conducted for alterations to the men's competition.

28/07

I've just noticed on some of the streams, Women's 3 day games...

Whilst I understand the reticence for wearing white, the whole theory about wearing coloured clothing mean't a change of ball colour to white from red way back post the Packer circus. Seeing the ball was and is viewed as an important factor in batting and fielding.

Today there are women's games happening with a red ball and players wearing coloured kit. Sightscreens are white and umpires are wearing white tops.

27/07

Not a Semi-final but an eliminator...

The Blaze were eliminated!

25/07

Craig Cumming confident The Blaze have the necessary staying power to prevail on Finals Day

AIDEN MCLAUGHLIN - INTERVIEW: Chris Guest's replacement has helped to guide last season's Charlotte Edwards Cup winners to within two wins of another piece of silverware

It's been a season of firsts for The Blaze's head coach, Craig Cumming, but this weekend will be the most significant so far.

Cumming's side, who finished second in the T20 Blast regular season standings, will face the third-placed Bears at the Kia Oval this Sunday (July 27) to open the inaugural Women's Finals Day. For the winners, there's an appointment with table toppers Surrey later that afternoon to crown the champions. 

New Zealander Cumming, who made 24 appearances for his country in Test and ODI cricket, was announced as Chris Guest's successor last December, with Guest taking up a role leading England Women Under-19s. Cumming saw out his domestic commitments with the Otago Sparks, whom he'd led for four years, before moving to Nottingham earlier this year. 

Under his watch, the Dunedin-based side won two domestic trophies and players such as spinner Eden Carson and wicketkeeper Polly Inglis joined teammates Suzie Bates and Hayley Jensen in the international set-up, with Carson and Bates playing a key role in the White Ferns' T20 World Cup victory in the UAE last October.

But Cumming, who has also taken charge of the New Zealand A side, was keen to challenge himself in new surroundings, a path that led to Trent Bridge.

"It's been a whirlwind, really," he told The Cricketer. "It's been good. It's cricket, but it's also a very different set-up. There's a lot of games of cricket, and the standard this year has been outstanding due to teams having really good off-seasons, really good preparation, fantastic weather and really good pitches. The [women's] game has taken off this year.

"I've been working hard getting to know the game over here, but also making sure I'm true to myself and who I am and the things that I believe are important.

"It's been a nice balance but I still think from a team point of view we've got some way to go because we've got some great talent but I think we can certainly improve in some areas and for me now, with my knowledge, I can impart some more of the skills that I've got, probably around the game, more than anything. It's been really good, and if you want a good challenge, this is certainly it."

After winning five of their first eight One Day Cup fixtures to sit third in the table, attention turned to the Blast at the end of May, with their first fixture ending in a tie, against Sunday's opponents, the Bears, at Trent Bridge. By the end of the round-robin stage, they had gathered 42 points compared to the Bears' 36.

"It's been interesting," said the 49-year-old, "you play 14 games, and you're never going to be perfect all the time. The biggest difference in the last couple of weeks is that conditions have changed a lot when it comes to the surfaces we've been playing on.

"We've been starting to play on more used pitches so the bowlers have come back into the game, the spinners have come into the game and we've got to have some more skills from a batting point of view so I think there's been a lot of adjustments to what's in front of you and I've been really pleased."

With temperatures forecast to be in the mid-20s, Cumming knows that should they reach the final, it will be hard physically, but also sees the potential benefits of having a game under their belt should they progress to meet the hosts.

"We're a fit side and the girls work exceptionally hard in that area, so that won't be a problem," he predicted. "Sometimes the nerves will come out in one of the games, so if you can learn to deal with it and deal with the anxiety and play well in two versus three, when you do go to the final, you just turn up and play and you'll have some form from that day.

"You'll have some things that have gone well, and the players will be feeling confident. The challenge is playing two games. But if you look at it from that positive side of things, if you go into the final, you'll have played on the pitch too, so you'll be used to the pitch and all the conditions, so as long as you've got the mind right, and that's probably the most important thing.

"I think there's some huge advantages of being in that game.

"We're nicely prepared. We've been challenged in many different areas, and we've trained and gotten ourselves ready in many different areas. It's going to be a heck of a weekend. I can't wait to be a part of it with the team, and with it being at the Kia Oval, it's a special place to play."

Trent Bridge have organised coach travel to the Oval bookable here

18/07

Not a Blazer but what the blazes, 22 letters for

Rhiannon Knowling-Davies - of Derbyshire

Noticed that Notts' assistant physio Jessica Couser also plays for Derbyshire.

14/07

An Email today from Pravda telling members that the Pursehouse Blaze have reached Finals Day, later this month at the Oval.

Tickets for the day cost £25, so no equality with the men's Finals Day.

06/07

Today is Women's County Cricket Day, so it's pity Nottinghamshire has a flaming franchise in its place.

I can't report hearing any mention of Women's County Cricket Day at Trent Bridge or on the live stream. Only "Pride" stuff everywhere!

04/07

They've apparently had a bit of a rest. They are back in action this week with some double headers.... if anyone is interested.

16/06

Yes I've been neglecting the Blaze, my lack of interest probably the cause of that. I did manage to catch the back end of one game last week, a home win at The Coop aka Derby but that to me says it all.

Nottinghamshire are unable to commit to the Blaze, so why should Blaze commit to Nottinghamshire?

Just don't tell me that they are my team!

It appears that the Blaze are doing OK in their piggy-back Blast competition.

30/05

Another T20 Competition, a Blazing Bear Tie

26/05

Rain masks level of defeat

The Blaze reach their first semi-final of this season with a Finals Day appearance for the T20 County Cup today at Taunton, against Lancashire Thunder.

A straight knock-out competition is what Men's cricket is lacking but not in the T20 format eh.

Pravda has hardly mentioned the Blaze reaching this round of the competition which which has flown under even their radar.

Pravda 1 £10 for Finals Day tickets

Pravda 2 Team news

20/05

Blaze Chase-down Somerset

17/05

Blaze Cruise into Last 8

14/05

Match tied at Beckenham v Surrey

Blaze play a County Cup T20 game against Oxfordshire at Lady Bay Sports Ground on Saturday, 2.30PM.

Pravda advises, bring your own food, drink and seating but there will (now) be toilets.

So have they planted some more shrubbery?

Free to spectate and parking is on a first come first served free for all at the site.

County Cup, so why can't The Blaze identify as Nottinghamshire?

Today the Blazes are at Beckenham in a 50 over game with Kent Surrey Women and tomorrow Blaze 2s are at the Bay for 2 T20 games with Lancashire Thunder 2s, if the Thunder has been retained.

11/05

Loss at Old Trafford

06/04

Another win for The Blaze

Back to their Spirital Home

The Illusion of a Nottinghamshire Women's Tier 1 side shattered...

a home match in Leicestershire!

04/05

Blazes another win

30/04

Blaze choke Bears Women

27/04

The Blaze ease to first win

23/04

Opposed to lambs to the slaughter, The Blaze Slaughtered by Lamb

Emma sister of Danny...

22/04

The Blaze return to Trent Bridge for the first time in 2025.

The Blaze v Lancashire

Prices aren't comparable to men's matches...

Now that the schools are back, a bargain price for 2 adults of £2.75?

01/04

Blaze Abu Dhabi Win