The only thing that has changed at Banks Homes Riverside is the name. For commercial reasons, and following the restructure of women’s domestic cricket, the Northern Diamonds have been replaced by Durham. However, the same frailty in the Diamonds’ batting, which was evident on the day of the King’s Coronation in 2023, still lingers in the Durham lineup. The Blaze secured victory again, winning by five wickets with 54 balls to spare.
Nadine de Klerk was the tormentor-in-chief that day, taking seven for 33. Grace Ballenger, the only other bowler from that day, was the standout bowler early on. She gave little away, with Suzie Bates in particular being watchful off the left-arm seamer. It led the New Zealander to adjust her approach, coming down the pitch to Ballinger on a couple of occasions. With a bit of force, the second of those saw her deposit the bowler back over her head.
At the other end, things were a bit looser. Charley Phillips is still adjusting to more competitive cricket, and while she has promise, her radar does not always quite align. She strayed at times today, with some deliveries wide enough for Emma Marlow to free her arms. The scoring picked up as a result, with Marlow finding her rhythm and taking advantage.
While Marlow was scoring more freely, Bates was unable to make an impact at the other end. It was not too much of a worry for Durham, as a batter of her class can make up for a slow start, and it was important for her to stay there, but even for the best, scoreboard pressure can mount. It was Ballinger who got the breakthrough, Bates looking to clip a real shot through mid-wicket, only to see Sarah Glenn standing tall. Glenn has worked hard on her fielding, and though the Durham crowd hoped for a drop, none came. It was one of two catches Glenn took in the match, the other coming from her leg-spinning partner, Josie Groves.
There is belief within The Blaze setup that Groves has everything to make it big; a calmness uncommon for someone so young. They want to protect her, which is why she was not introduced to the bowling attack until the 37th over. With Durham 164 for 1, it must have felt like the last roll of the dice. She induced Villiers to pick out Glenn again with her first ball and Durham never recovered from there. From that point, responsibility was undoubtedly on the shoulders of Hollie Armitage.
Armitage carried on the form that saw her unbeaten for 64 in Durham’s nine-wicket victory against Essex. Having recently been on tour with England A, Armitage, at the height of her confidence, was batting with real presence. She was reading the game and soaking up the pressure when needed, striking nine fours in an innings of 81. She was the fifth wicket to fall for Durham, bowled by Glenn. However, it was in the middle of a collapse that is all too familiar in this Durham lineup, with the last seven wickets falling for just 36 runs. Some of it was careless cricket, like Bess Heath, who tried a sweep and was bowled by Glenn for six. Glenn would finish with three for 45, but as a bowling unit, everyone played their part.
It left The Blaze a target of 201 to chase, which was well within their sights. They had the England pair of Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont to open the batting, and they added 55 for the first wicket within the powerplay. Both fell quickly after that, and the Durham fielders might have begun to believe, but when Kathryn and Sarah Bryce are at the crease, batting looks easy. They complement each other well. Sarah keeps the scoreboard ticking, while Kathryn plays the longer game, waiting for the right moment to strike.
A partnership of 81 from the Bryce sisters put The Blaze in front. Both had spells during the partnership where the runs were flowing; Kathryn started the brighter before Sarah caught her up. The tricky off-spin of Bates saw Sarah Bryce trapped lbw for 34. Kathryn Bryce finished with 54 and was keen to take the game on. The Blaze had witnessed her see games home before, and it took a gusty burst from Phoebe Turner to get rid of Kathryn Bryce. She continued to make breakthroughs, finishing with three for 24.
Georgia Elwiss, who scored 49 against Lancashire on Wednesday, looked in fine touch once again, stroking the ball through the covers with perfect timing and minimal force. However, Turner got Elwiss to chase a wider delivery and the edge flew to Heath behind the stumps.
Ella Claridge had a breakthrough season with The Blaze last year, playing a key role in the middle order and often holding things together with impressive technique. She batted lower in this game than she did last season, with The Blaze having international quality at the top, but that should not diminish her USA caps. It was fitting that she took The Blaze home.
This match will be difficult for Durham to take, but it is nothing they were not already concerned about. The top order, while important, needs support from the rest of the team to win games.
The Blaze will be happy to be up and running. Their game plan of squeezing teams in the middle overs and then chasing is well established, and they will hope to continue building on this performance.
