Foxes Women suffer 11 run defeat to Gloucestershire Women in T20 Blast

Gloucestershire Women made a good start, reaching 41/2 by the end of the powerplay. Ahearne's 33-ball 38 helped to put the hosts into a good position at 112/4 heading into the final four overs. Leicestershire Women took four wickets in those last few overs, limiting the hosts to a chaseable 145/8.

However, the Foxes lost four wickets in the powerplay and had fallen to 53/5 at the halfway point in their innings, requiring 93 further runs to win. Grayson hit 49, giving the visitors a slim chance, but her dismissal at the end of the nineteenth over put paid to that, and Gloucestershire won comfortably by 11 runs.

The sun shone at the Seat Unique Stadium when the captains emerged for the toss, with Daniels winning it and electing to bat first for Gloucestershire Women.

In the second over, Phillips took the first wicket for Leicestershire thanks to a quick piece of work behind the stumps from Watson, stumping Halliday for 5. Ketan produced a wicket maiden in the final over of the powerplay, bowling Reddy for 22 and breaking a profitable partnership worth 31.

It wasn't until the thirteenth over that the Foxes picked up a third wicket, with Watson capitalising on another stumping opportunity to remove Munday for 23, giving Weston her first of the afternoon.

Ahearne's necessary innings of 38 came to an end in the sixteenth over as she feathered a drive to wicketkeeper Watson off the bowling of Phillips. In her next over, Phillips and Watson once again teamed up for another stumping, removing Geach for 16.

At the end of the penultimate over, Weston took a good catch at long-on to dismiss Belcher for 7 before Phillips ran Bird out for a duck without facing a delivery, two balls into the last. On the next delivery, Chissell removed Patel for 8 thanks to a superb diving catch from Herathge at short third. The hosts ended their 20 overs on 145/8.

Gloucestershire made a brilliant start with the ball, taking four wickets in the powerplay.

Phillips fell in the second over for a duck, chipping a Phillips delivery to Geach in the covers. Later in the second over, Belcher produced two consecutive yorkers to bowl Chissell for 2 and Brooker for 0. In the sixth over, Daniels picked up the big wicket of Davies, who flicked the fourth ball of that over to Belcher at mid-wicket, with Leicestershire ending an eventful powerplay on 37/4.

With her first ball of the match, Hill had Watson stumped by Ahearne for a run-a-ball 21.

A steady run-rate through the middle overs meant the Foxes faced an uphill challenge, needing 49 runs to win from the last four overs. Teekasingh attempted to hit big, but she pulled a Belcher delivery straight to Geach, who took the catch despite juggling the ball. Weston was promptly run out for 1 by Patel, attempting an ambitious second, at the start of the following over.

Grayson gave Leicestershire a glimmer of hope with her 49 runs, falling just short of her half-century as she was run out by Hill, taking a tight single to get herself on strike for the final over. Bird took a smart catch on the final delivery of the match, removing Herathge for 5 and completing the victory by 11 runs for the hosts.