Grace Harris kept her nerve and, just as importantly, her power-game intact to steer Surrey to the Women’s Vitality Blast crown at the Kia Oval. The Australian, unbeaten on 63 from only 33 balls, saw the hosts to 154 in a canter – five wickets and 20 deliveries in hand – yet confessed to “mixed feelings” after condemning younger sister Laura and Warwickshire Bears to defeat.
Surrey’s chase appeared a touch awkward when Sophia Dunkley’s bright cameo ended at 42 for 3, the Bears’ spinners Amu Surenkumar and Hannah Baker finding early grip. Harris’s response was immediate, drilling her third ball straight back over Baker’s head. From there the asking rate was never allowed to creep.
“I probably get more nervous on the side-lines than I do out in the middle,” she said afterwards. “When I am in the centre, I’m like, ‘this is good fun! How good is it to get a chance to bat!’ Sitting on the side-lines, I say to our group, ‘alright introverts, you are going to have to leave, because I’ve got to chat or I’m going to find this day tough!’”
Harris’s acceleration – seven fours, two sixes – meant Kira Chathli only needed to collect a breezy 16 not out, the winning boundary coming off Issy Wong. “Sometimes it is harder to chase 140 than 160,” Harris added, “because you think if you just knock it around, you’ll just get the runs, whereas with 160 you have to go to pick up a boundary an over. Teams can get too complacent with 140.”
The target itself might have been steeper had Laura Harris stayed beyond the 13th over. Her 25 from 11 threatened to tilt the final until Phoebe Franklin, patrolling deep mid-wicket, judged a steepler to perfection. “I was a little bit nervous,” Grace admitted. “I was thinking at long-off, ‘just hit it down someone else’s throat!’ … I’m happy she got out when she did because it could have been a 180-chase if she’d hung on.”
Earlier, Franklin’s medium pace had removed both openers and combined with slick fielding – including a direct hit to run out Georgia Davis – to keep Warwickshire to 153 for 7. Head coach Gareth Batty praised the collective discipline: “We talk about owning your length at the Oval; Phoebe and the others nailed it for most of 20 overs.” The figures back him up: only five wides and a boundary percentage under 14.
Statistically the contest turned on boundary frequency. Surrey struck 16 fours and three sixes to the Bears’ 12 and two, a reminder that on a true surface power still trumps placement. Analyst Mark Church noted, “Warwickshire actually faced more dot balls in the final five overs than Surrey managed all innings. That tells a story.”
Harris pointed to lessons learned from a painful experience. “I’ve been involved in a team which has done that before, chasing 120 in a final with [Brisbane] Heat and we lost to Adelaide Strikers because we just knocked it about and didn’t really take the game on.”
“So it was fantastic to make sure we stayed with that run-chase. Fair play to the girls on what was a very good squad effort.”
Surrey’s room for celebration is brief; the regional 50-over cup resumes next weekend. For Warwickshire, reflection beckons. Captain Marie Kelly accepted the difference was “one world-class innings” but took solace in the side’s progression: a first Blast final in four seasons.
As the presentations wrapped up, Harris reserved one final nod for Franklin, her player of the season. “I think Phoebe has genuinely been our player of the season,” Harris said. “Each game she’s either taken a crucial wicket or hit 20 o” — the sentence drifted away, though the sentiment was clear enough.
