The Blaze 166 for 5 (Elwiss 76*) beat Surrey 164 (Chatterji 45, Gordon 3-37) by five wickets
Surrey’s defeat was their third in succession after starting the season with three wins. They badly need to reboot, but Blaze’s momentum continues to grow after a fourth consecutive win, and fifth out of six games.
Put in on a grey morning with the floodlights shining brightly, Surrey started briskly, 19 from three overs, but then hit terminal decline. Paige Scholfield missed a drive at Charley Phillips and was bowled off-stump. Alice Monaghan lifted a pull at Lucy Higham and was slickly caught by Tammy Beaumont at square leg.
Gordon then left Surrey reeling with three quickfire wickets. Bryony Smith top-edged to deep square leg and Alice Davidson-Richards and Jemima Spice were bowled through the gate and past a crooked bat respectively.
From 57 for five, Surrey had little option to retrench. Kira Chathli (28, 58) and Chatterji added a watchful 36 before the former copped a tough lbw decision and fell to Josie Groves. Less arguable was the lbw call against Aylish Cranston (20, 31) when she missed a sweep at Higham.
Chatterji, having hit just two fours in a diligent innings that at least gave her side something to bowl at, was caught at long on off Kathryn Bryce who then had Danielle Gregory caught at point. When Tilly Corteen-Coleman was yorked by Phillips, Surrey’s innings ended with 42 balls unused.
Surrey’s bowlers responded impressively with three wickets in the first five overs. Corteen-Coleman ousted Beaumont, caught at slip, and Maitlin Brown bowled Kathryn Bryce and Amy Jones to leave The Blaze 19 for three. Elwiss and Sarah Bryce (29, 39) added 42 but Monaghan powered Surrey back into the match by hitting the off-stumps of Bryce and Ella Claridge with successive balls. Where Surrey had been 57 for five, The Blaze were now 61 for five.
Elwiss and Emma Jones were unruffled. Elwiss hooked Brown for six to bring up the 100 and the sixth-wicket pair added 50 from 75 balls. Elwiss reached her half-century from 72 balls and well though Surrey bowled, their batters’ under-performance had left them too much to do as the sixth-wicket pair closed out an ultimately comfortable victory.
