A Performance That Had Everything

Sometimes you watch a team perform and you just know they were always going to win. That was The Blaze on Finals Day at The Oval. Having already swept aside Surrey in the opening semi-final, Kirstie Gordon's side turned their attention to Durham and produced a display that was, quite frankly, clinical from first ball to last. A 10-wicket victory — Durham dismissed for 117-8 before the reply was wrapped up with more than six overs remaining — confirmed The Blaze as worthy first-time champions of the Women's T20 Blast.

Durham Undone on a Slow Surface

Durham had fashioned a surprise semi-final victory over Hampshire Hawks to reach the final, but they found the step up in class difficult to manage. Put in to bat, they lost captain Hollie Armitage to Grace Ballinger with just the fourth delivery of their innings bowled — a blow from which they never truly recovered. The surface was slow and doing plenty for The Blaze's varied attack of slower bowlers, making fluent stroke-play virtually impossible.

Australian all-rounder Heather Graham offered the most resistance, backing up a useful 35 against Hampshire with a composed 30 from 23 balls, but her departure proved the decisive moment. Grace Thompson and Emily Windsor both chipped in with 20 apiece, yet 117-8 was always going to be well short of a competitive total on a ground like The Oval. Charli Knott collected 2-25 while skipper Gordon was exceptional, returning figures of 3-21. Five dropped catches in the field were a minor blemish but ultimately irrelevant given the margin of victory. For those who had The Blaze as pre-match favourites, this result was no surprise — though the ease of it may well shorten their odds for future tournaments considerably.

Beaumont and Bryce Put on a Masterclass

Durham's bowlers tried everything in the reply. Lauren Filer even served up two wides from her opening three deliveries under clear pressure, and it set the tone for what was to follow. Tammy Beaumont, who announced her retirement from international cricket with England earlier this summer, looked anything but a player winding down. The 35-year-old stroked her way to an unbeaten 54, the day's highest individual score, including seven fours, and never gave Durham a sniff of a wicket.

At the other end, Scotland's Sarah Bryce — not to be confused with her compatriot Kathryn Bryce who featured in the semi-final — registered her first half-century of the entire tournament, finishing on an unbeaten 53. Together they put on 118 for the opening wicket without being separated, making the chase look utterly straightforward. As a former coach, I can tell you that an unbroken century opening stand in a T20 final is about as authoritative a statement as a batting unit can make.

Knott the Star of the Tournament

Individual honours on the day went to Ballinger with four wickets across the two matches and Gordon for her superb captaincy throughout, but the player of the tournament award was richly deserved by 23-year-old Charli Knott. She ended Finals Day with six victims and finished the competition with an extraordinary double of 404 runs and 27 wickets — figures that suggest this young woman is going to be a significant force in the shorter format for years to come. The Blaze were so dominant that England international Georgia Elwiss did not face a single delivery all day, which speaks volumes about the depth and quality across this squad.

This was a performance that will live long in the memory of everyone connected with The Blaze. A first Women's T20 Blast title, claimed in emphatic style under the south London sun — and one that will make them very hard to back against in next year's competition.

Scorecard Summary

Durham: 117-8 (20 overs) — H. Graham 30, G. Thompson 20, E. Windsor 20; K. Gordon 3-21, C. Knott 2-25, G. Ballinger 2 wickets

The Blaze: 118-0 (13.4 overs) — T. Beaumont 54*, S. Bryce 53*

Result: The Blaze won by 10 wickets