Somerset will be looking for our first win of the campaign, whilst Durham currently sit in seventh place in the group with eight points from their eight matches.<\/p>\n
HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?<\/p>\n
You can keep up to date using the dedicated Match Centre on this website.<\/p>\n
In-play updates will also appear on our X feed (formerly Twitter).<\/p>\n
In addition to this, a report on the day\u2019s play along with quotes will be posted on this website.<\/p>\n
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THE OPPOSITION<\/p>\n
DURHAM<\/strong><\/p>\n Captain:\u00a0<\/strong>Hollie Armitage<\/p>\n Overseas player:\u00a0<\/strong>Suzie Bates (New Zealand, full competition)<\/p>\n Key winter moves:\u00a0<\/strong>Durham have signed a plethora of eye-catching talent, some young, some experienced. England stars Hollie Armitage, Lauren Filer, Bess Heath and Mady Villiers are chief amongst them. New Zealand batting legend Suzie Bates will be key to their hopes of success. Given the importance of quality spin in T20 cricket, the presence of gun leg-spinner Katie Levick in Durham\u2019s line-up may be most telling.<\/p>\n The big question:\u00a0<\/strong>It\u2019s been an inconsistent start to the summer for Durham in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, winning three of eight matches. Perhaps that\u2019s understandable given this was a newly assembled squad for 2025. But, a couple of months down the line, can they kick on in the Blast and challenge the competition favourites such as The Blaze and Lancashire Thunder?<\/p>\n Wildcard watch:\u00a0<\/strong>Grace Thompson. The 17-year-old fast bowler has all the attributes to be a future star for Durham and England. Tall, pacy, accurate and with, seemingly, a good temperament. Think Lauren Bell, and you won\u2019t be a million miles off if you haven\u2019t seen her. Amazing Grace? Quite possibly. If Thompson gets it right in the Blast, she will be hot property.<\/p>\n Final thought:\u00a0<\/strong>The next couple of months are key for the progression of women\u2019s cricket in Durham. With the likelihood of bigger crowds for Blast fixtures than 50-over matches at the Banks Homes Riverside, this is a great opportunity for this new professional side to really build a connection with cricket lovers, especially children, in the North East. Silverware is important, of course it is. But there\u2019s somewhat of a bigger picture at play in this summer\u2019s Blast for Durham Cricket.<\/p>\n TEAM NEWS<\/p>\n Somerset Women will be without Heather Knight (hamstring), Dani Gibson (back), Emma Corney (knee), Amelie Munday (knee) and Charlie Dean (international duty).<\/p>\n Lola Harris is included in the squad for the first time following the conclusion of her exams, whilst Academy batter Ruby Davis has also been added.<\/p>\n A starting XI will be named from the following squad:<\/p>\n VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM<\/p>\n Ahead of the fixture, Somerset Head Coach, Trevor Griffin said: \u201cThe break has been a good opportunity to refresh, reset and spend some time working on some specific tactical elements. We\u2019re now champing at the bit to get out there, go again and get that first win in the competition.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve played some really good cricket at times and we\u2019ve been so close to getting a result on a number of occasions without quite being able to get over the line. It\u2019s a game of fine margins and there are just a few things we need to be slightly tighter on. We\u2019ve trained well during the last week and we\u2019re looking forward to this weekend\u2019s games.<\/p>\n \u201cDurham have a number of dangerous players, but we just need to focus on what we do and play the cricket that we know we\u2019re capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n If you are planning to attend the match, all the information you need can be found on the official Durham CCC Website.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/HT1_9128-scaled.jpg\")
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