Bears Women will contest the first-ever women’s Vitality Blast Finals day at the Oval on July 27, taking on the Blaze in the eliminator, and if successful, Surrey in the final.
It’s been an incredible campaign for the Bears side, who are just a couple of steps away from history.
Bears Women Head Coach, Ali Maiden, said: “The aim all along was to get to Finals Day.
“I’m really proud of the team for getting this far and excited for what we could achieve going into the day, and also excited for the players to experience the event.”
The Bears have won eight of their 14 games on the way to securing third place in the Vitality Blast table, losing five and tying one in the opening round against the Blaze.
Batting first at Trent Bridge, the Bears made 160/8 from their 20 overs, thanks largely to a partnership of 75 from Katie George and Charis Pavely.
The Blaze were cruising in their reply but faltered in the last few overs, with two wickets in the last two balls resulting in a tie.
It was a performance that showed the grit and determination of the Bears and set their Vitality Blast campaign in motion.
They went on to win two of their next four. Their first victory was a comprehensive win over Durham, where Davina Perrin and Laura Harris starred with the bat. Perrin set the tone with a masterful 87 before an explosive, record-breaking half-century from Harris off just 17 balls lifted the Bears to an unassailable total, eventually winning by 42 runs.
The Bears’ next victory came in the shape of a dominant performance over Somerset. Once again, Harris was on fire, bludgeoning an incredible 77 from 34 balls, before handing over to the spin duo of Millie Taylor and Georgia Davis.
Between them, they took 6/25 from 7 overs to topple the Somerset line-up and push the Bears into top spot in the table.
Then the Bears went on a storming run, winning four in a row, including victories over Hampshire, Durham, Essex and the Blaze.
The final match was a statement win over a side that were unbeaten in the competition up to that point. Only once had the Blaze failed to secure victory, that being the tie against the Bears in the opening round.
Sterre Kalis (54) led the way with the bat, but it was returning international Em Arlott who did the major damage, taking three late wickets to rip the heart out of the Blaze chase, with the Bears completing victory by 25 runs.
The Finals Day spot was secured with a win away at Hampshire in the penultimate group fixture. Perrin cemented her place as one of the tournament’s best batters with an imperious 70 from 48 balls to lift the Bears to 165 from their 20 overs.
Hannah Baker took three wickets, including that of premier all-rounder Ellyse Perry (58), to help the Bears wrap up the win and grab the spot in the eliminator.
Maiden said, “There’s been parts of the tournament where we’ve played fantastic cricket and got momentum our way and made it look straightforward, but there’s also been times where we’ve hit challenges and had to overcome them, and it’s easy to forget that when you go on a run winning four in four.”
“It wasn’t always that easy. Going into our last three games, we thought we’d have to win two of those against Hampshire, Somerset or Surrey, and we felt that was going to be quite a stiff task, but we made it look relatively straightforward in the end.”
Davina Perrin has amassed 384 runs in the competition at a strike rate of 143.28, while Millie Taylor has taken 19 wickets at an average of 16.10.
Maiden said, “Millie said at the start of the season, all she wanted to do was make her debut, and now she’s gone from that to being picked in the Hundred as a wildcard because of how good her performances have been. She’s been unbelievable. She works hard, has a fantastic attitude, and thoroughly deserves it.”
“Davina is high quality; she has so much potential. In T20 cricket, she’s just showing people what she can do; she is right up there for me.”
Whilst Perrin and Taylor both have exceptional returns, they are not alone in helping the Bears secure qualification.
Six different players have registered half-centuries in the Blast this year, and between them, Hannah Baker, Georgia Davis and Taylor have taken 55 wickets. Nat Wraith has also been excellent with the gloves, taking seven stumpings, the joint-most in the competition.
Maiden said, “If you look at our batting, the top seven have all contributed at some point. We’ve had games where we’ve lost four wickets up front and gone on to post 150+. We never think we’re out of the game, always fighting with everybody contributing. That’s been a big factor.
“At the start of the summer, I said that as a squad of 16 players, they were all going to play a part at certain points, and that’s the strength of the characters in the squad that they’ve all contributed.”
It’s been an all-round effort from the Bears, backed up by some spectacular fielding feats that have helped them qualify for the inaugural Vitality Blast Finals Day.
Maiden said, “We’ve got a really clear way of going about our cricket, and as long as we stick to that, we’ve got a really good chance on the day.
“Everybody knows their roles, and I think everyone is confident. Throughout the competition, we’ve been a quietly confident but humble group. We know what we can do, we back ourselves, but we’re not arrogant and over the top. We’re confident in what we do because we do it so well.”
There are now just two matches standing between the Bears and creating history in their first season.
Bears Women are going to Finals Day!
Bears Women have booked their place in the first-ever Vitality Blast Finals Day, set to take place on Sunday 27 July at The Kia Oval, marking another historic moment for the team and fans.
Bears fans will have access to a dedicated stand, Block 19 of JM Finn Stand, where tickets are £25 for adults and £5 for U16s.