Preview: The Blaze vs Central Sparks (Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy)
Match Details:
Game - The Blaze vs Central Sparks
Competition - Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
Venue - Queen's Park, Chesterfield Cricket Club
Date - Friday 6 September
Game start - 10:30am
Central Sparks will end their 2024 campaign, and five-year spell under that name in the East Midlands as they take on The Blaze in the season finale.
It all comes down to this fixture, with Sparks hoping to end their journey on a positive note with a victory over local rivals, Blaze. A side they have beaten once this season which was in the return fixture of this back in April.
On Wednesday, Sparks fell short in a thriller held at Moseley, where Darren Franklin's side lost by 20 runs. A promising performance though, troubling the South East Stars at times. There was a trio of half-centuries in the game, with Chloe Brewer, Bethan Ellis & Davina Perrin raising their bats.
Four wickets for Katie George and three for Charis Pavely started the day though, and despite the defeat, Sparks can be proud of their return from three matches in this final block of RHFT matches. With just one game to go, Sparks will want to trip The Blaze up and draw the curtain on their journey as a group with a win that would go down in history.
The Opposition:
Blaze enter this match having steamrolled their way into fourth place, after a run of four wins from five. Captain Kirstie Gordon can be pleased with how her side have performed against sides like Southern Vipers and Northern Diamonds, who have so far been the team's to beat in this form of the game this year.
West Midlands-born bowler Grace Ballinger was a solid contributor to The Blaze's win on Wednesday over Lancashire Thunder, she took four wickets in what was a deadly spell.
Sparks know all too well of the dangers Friday's opponents posses, but as do the East Midlands side of Sparks. Both have top pace attacks and batters who can take an innings away from a team.
Head to Head:
This will be the fourth time the sides face off each other, with both opening the season together and going to battle in a T20 semi final. In the season opener, Sparks took the win at Edgbaston, followed by two wins in the Charlotte Edwards Cup group stages for The Blaze.
The games are always exciting ones between the Midlands clubs, with Sparks looking to cause havoc on The Blaze's end to 2024 on Friday in Chesterfield to record their second win over Chris Guest's side this calender year.
Team News:
Sparks will keep with the same squad that took to Moseley earlier this week, with the youthful trio Meg Austin, Sophie Beech & Hannah Hardwick all included in the team. Abbey Freeborn will contine in her role as captain following Eve Jones' departure.
How to Watch:
It is free entry at Queen's Park on Friday, so Sparks supporters can come across the Midlands to support us in our final ever game!
Alternatively, the match will be streamed live via The Blaze's YouTube channel, or you can follow the action from our live match centre on the Edgbaston website.
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