By Jon Batham
Result: Surrey 213-4 4pts beat Hampshire 181-8 by 32 runs
Grace Harris announced herself on the 2025 Vitality Blast with a blistering half-century and three wickets as Surrey made it two wins from two with a 32-run win over Hampshire at the Kia Oval.
Hot off the plane the Australian international smashed 63 in 35 balls with four sixes and five fours. Harris shared half-century stands with Danni Wyatt-Hodge (62 from 41) and Paige Schofield (49 from 18) – all this after Wyatt-Hodge and skipper Bryony Smith (33) posted 73 for the opening wicket.
The fearsome onslaught carried Surrey to 213-4, Freya Davies taking 2-36 for the visitors, who rued four dropped catches and a bungled runout attempt of Harris when she’d made just one.
Hampshire’s chase was heroic, led by Ella McCaughan’s classy 81, supported by 29 from skipper Georgia Adams, but Harris (3-18) dismissed both in the space of three balls to cap a stunning debut as the Hawks finished on 181-8.
After a sedate start, Smith blasted three sixes in quick succession, while Wyatt-Hodge, following a shaky series against West Indies for England, also cleared the ropes.
Wyatt-Hodge was dropped twice on 30 and 35 before Smith holed out at mid-wicket off opposing skipper Adams.
Harris should have gone soon afterwards when confusion left both batters at the same end, but a poor throw was fumbled by wicketkeeper Rhianna Southby and the overseas ace was reprieved.
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Harris duly cashed in, raising Surrey’s hundred with six over mid-on, while Wyatt-Hodge was missed for a third time by Mary Taylor – a tough caught and bowled – before reaching 50 from 35 balls. The England opener eventually fell to a catch off Davies, but Harris forged on, two more maximums taking her to 50 from 27 balls.
And while her innings ended tamely from a paddle to short fine leg, Schofield took up the baton with three sixes of her own, the last from the final ball of the innings to finish one short of 50.
In-form Maia Bouchier began the chase with a straight six before holing out to a catch on the fence before the first over was done.
Charlie Knott too flickered briefly and although she cut Tilly Corteen-Coleman into the hands of Wyatt-Hodge at cover, the visitors were 64-2 after six.
Freya Kemp nicked one from Stonehouse through to wicketkeeper Kira Chathli and a maiden from Phoebe Franklin further cranked up the pressure.
McCaughan kept up the breathless chase, crisp driving and sweeping taking her to a polished 50 complete with 10 fours and Franklin spilt a skier to reprieve Adams as the tension mounted.
With rain falling the 50-partnership came up in 33 balls and 85 were needed from the last seven.
Smith failed to cling on to a tough chance at mid-off with McCaughan on 65, but Harris had her caught and bowled for 81 and when Adams perished two balls later to a stunning catch by Schofield, Hampshire were destined to fall short.
Surrey all-rounder Grace Harris said: “It’s a fantastic start. It was very good to get 200 on the board and then defend it.
“Maybe they even got the better of the conditions, especially with that rain coming in, which made the ball slide on nicely to the bat.
“Bryony and Danni got us off to a fantastic start. Credit to both of them as they are playing a nice, attacking style of cricket and they really set the innings up.
“I might have ridden my luck a bit early on, but as long as you cash in you’re good to go right?
“I was happy with the way I played. I love contributing for any side and playing different roles at times as you do around the franchise leagues. You can go from opening the batting, to batting in the middle or at the death and even a role with the ball.
“I was surprised to get a role in the death overs and a few cheeky wickets at the back end there.
“I just enjoy cricket and whatever role I’m given I try and embrace that.”
Hampshire skipper Georgia Adams said: “I think we are pretty happy with the way we went about that chase. I think we probably let them get 20 too many which in the end was probably the difference between the two sides.
“I think in a funny sort of way trying to stay ahead of the DLS score was actually helping us because it kept us on track throughout the overs. We knew we needed to get at least one if not two boundaries an over, but the wicket being so good and the outfield so fast, we quickly realised good shots kind of got you that. The harder you tried to hit it, the harder it got in the end.
“I thought Ella was brilliant and we were ahead of the rate for a lot of it, but just fell away in the last five overs.
“We were playing cat and mouse with the rain a bit and it is difficult mentally because as batters at the crease you are always thinking what do we play for. Do you play for the end result or do you play for the DLS because then if you lose a wicket the DLS rockets up.
“It is not the easiest situation and it got pretty heavy at one point, but the way the pitches are here and the way it drains it never felt heavy enough.
“We battled through, but the Grace Harris over where we lost Macca (McCaughan) and I killed us really.”
