Surrey and Blaze claim wins before T20 Blast finals day

Surrey and The Blaze warmed up for Friday's T20 Blast finals day with wins in their final group stage games.

The pair will meet in the first semi-final at The Kia Oval, with table-toppers Hampshire then facing Durham.

Phoebe Franklin hit an unbeaten 40 as Surrey chased down 133 to beat Hampshire, while Charli Knott hit a vital 84 not out to help The Blaze to a three-wicket win over Yorkshire.

Elsewhere, Lancashire needed an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 60 between Skye Thomas and Kate Cross to beat Durham, and Essex won by 41 runs at Somerset.

Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Franklin proved the star turns as Surrey beat league leaders Hampshire by six wickets to land a psychological blow ahead of finals day.

MacDonald-Gay's devastating opening burst of 3-13 helped reduce Hampshire to 14-5 before an unbeaten 52 from Abi Norgrove led a recovery of sorts to 132-8.

Bethan Miles was also in the wickets with 3-22.

All-rounder Franklin, not long back from long-term injury, and playing just as a batter, then saw the chase home with an unbeaten 40, this after Laura Harris had struck a typically belligerent 38.

Georgia Adams was again the pick of the Hampshire attack, with 2-21.

A notable display from Australian all-rounder Knott helped The Blaze to a helter-skelter victory over Yorkshire at Headingley.

Last year's semi-finalists had already qualified for The Kia Oval showpiece but clinched their eighth win in 12 games, thanks to bowling the hosts out for 122 and recovering from 41-5 in the eighth over of their chase.

Left-arm swing bowler Grace Ballinger returned 3-31, while Charley Phillips and Kirstie Gordon struck twice apiece, adding to two run outs.

But Knott's miserly 1-19 from four overs of off-spin was followed up by a brilliant and composed career-best 84 not out off 57 balls.

Yorkshire had three batters make 23, and captain Lauren Winfield-Hill top-scored with 29, as they missed the chance to claim a fourth straight win.

Yorkshire's academy leg-spinner Holly Garton impressed with 2-17, but The Blaze won with five balls remaining.

Wicketkeeper-batter Thomas made an outstanding 55 not out off 38 balls on her senior Lancashire debut to secure a four-wicket victory for her side against Durham at Emirates Old Trafford.

Having posted just 132-6 in their 20 overs, with skipper Hollie Armitage making 30 and Venus Weerappuli taking 2-20, Durham rose to the task of defending that low score in impressive fashion.

Heather Graham took two wickets as Lancashire slumped to 75-6 in the 13th over but Thomas and the experienced Cross put on an unbroken 60 in seven overs.

Liberty Heap top-scored with 37 as Essex completed their T20 Blast campaign with a comprehensive 41-run victory over Somerset at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton.

Somerset spinner Charlie Dean claimed 3-36, but Grace Scrivens and Jo Gardner weighed in with 32 and 30 respectively as Essex ran up an imposing 163-9 after winning the toss.

Seamers Kate Coppack (2-20) and Eva Gray (2-11) then put the skids under Somerset's batting as the home side were shot out for an inadequate 122.

Neither side was able to qualify for finals day, but Essex leapfrogged Somerset to finish in fifth place, courtesy of their sixth win of the season.

Match details supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network supported by Rothesay.