The ECB Women’s One-Day Cup Final 2026 on September 19, 2026, delivered an absolute nail-biter at Southampton as The Blaze Women clinched a thrilling 3-wicket victory off the very last ball <a href="https://cricket.international/top-3-india-women-players-to-watch-out-against-bangladesh/” title=”Top 3: India Women Players to Watch Out Against Bangladesh”>against Hampshire Women to seal a memorable title win. Electing to bowl after winning the toss, The Blaze set out to control the game early through tight bowling spells. However, Hampshire Women built a solid foundation after absorbing initial pressure.
Hampshire’s opening duo of Ella McCaughan and Maia Bouchier weathered the early storm, combining for a fluent 84-run opening stand. Bouchier chipped in with 29 runs off 51 balls (2 fours) before Lucy Higham made the initial breakthrough, having her caught by Kathryn Bryce in the 18th over at 84/1. Captain Georgia Adams struggled to find her rhythm and managed just 6 off 14 deliveries before falling to Higham as well, caught by Kirstie Gordon in the 23rd over at 99/2.
McCaughan then found an aggressive partner in Freya Kemp, and the duo dictated terms in the middle overs with a dynamic 67-run third-wicket partnership. McCaughan anchored the innings brilliantly with a top score of 78 off 97 balls (8 fours) before Grace Ballinger trapped her lbw at 166/3 in the 32nd over. Kemp accelerated the scoring with a crisp half-century, scoring 52 off 46 balls (5 fours, 1 six), but Higham struck again to have her stumped by Sarah Bryce at 197/4 in the 39th over.
Higham and Charley Phillips then completely disrupted Hampshire’s middle and lower order in the death overs. Higham completed a stellar spell of 4/49 in 10 overs by removing Naomi Dattani (6 off 9) caught by Gordon at 217/6. Meanwhile, Phillips delivered a crucial spell of 3/38 in 10 overs, removing Abi Norgrove (5 off 14) caught by Georgia Elwiss at 204/5, Rhianna Southby (28 off 39) clean bowled at 221/7, and Amanda-Jade Wellington (7 off 10) bowled at 232/8.
Late runs from Poppy Tulloch (14 off 12) and Daisy Gibb (10* off 10) pushed Hampshire through to 251/9 in their 50 overs before Tulloch was run out on the second-to-last ball of the innings. Among the rest of the Blaze bowling attack, Kirstie Gordon bowled tightly with 0/39 in 10 overs (2 maidens), Cassidy McCarthy returned 0/25 in 3 overs, Orla Prendergast conceded 0/29 in 5 overs, and Kathryn Bryce finished with 0/17 in 3 overs.
Chasing a competitive target of 252, The Blaze Women kicked off their run chase with immense authority. Openers Sarah Bryce and Tammy Beaumont punished the opposition bowlers with an emphatic 95-run opening partnership inside 17 overs. Bryce set a aggressive tone, scoring 39 off 44 balls with 3 fours and 1 six, before leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington broke the stand by dismissing her caught by Kemp at 95/1.
Wellington struck on the very next over to remove Kathryn Bryce for 1 (caught by Adams at 97/2). Undeterred, Beaumont teamed up with Georgia Elwiss to construct a dominant 96-run third-wicket stand. Beaumont crafted a patient half-century, making 74 off 122 balls (7 fours), before Wellington trapped her lbw at 193/3 in the 40th over to finish with excellent match figures of 3/36 in 10 overs.
The match took a dramatic turn in the closing stages as Hampshire’s bowlers kept chipping away with quick wickets. Bex Tyson removed the well-set Elwiss for 64 off 74 balls (6 fours), caught by Adams at 201/4, and later dismissed Kirstie Gordon (8 off 11) to finish with 2/46 in 10 overs. Poppy Tulloch also produced a key breakthrough by dismissing Orla Prendergast (6 off 14) caught by Southby at 206/5, finishing with 1/55 in 10 overs.
When Lucy Higham (4 off 7) was run out by Daisy Gibb and Georgia Adams at 248/7 in the final over, The Blaze still required 4 runs from 3 balls with tensions running high. Cometh the hour, cometh Emma Jones, who played a sensational finisher’s cameo under intense pressure. Unbeaten on 34 off just 25 balls with 4 boundaries, Jones held her nerve alongside Grace Ballinger (0* off 0) to hold off Hampshire. With two runs needed off the last ball of the match, Jones swept the final delivery to the boundary to complete a grand victory for The Blaze as they reached 254/7 in exactly 50.0 overs.
Hampshire’s supporting bowlers Daisy Gibb (0/24 in 5 overs), Naomi Dattani (0/37 in 5 overs), and George Adams (0/43 in 10 overs) fought hard but ultimately couldn’t prevent The Blaze from snatching a dramatic 3-wicket win on the very last ball.
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Source: femalecricket.com
