Surrey start Women's T20 Blast defence with win

Surrey start Women's T20 Blast defence with winImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Surrey opener Bryony Smith hit 10 fours and three sixes in her 35-ball 71Published1 hour agoReigning champions Surrey began the defence of their Women's T20 Blast title by chasing a target of 186 to beat Lancashire Thunder by six wickets.Opener Eve Jones made 56 and former Australia captain Meg Lanning scored 40 off 22 balls in Lancashire's 185-7.But hosts Surrey, given an excellent platform by captain Bryony Smith's 71 off 35 balls, sealed an opening-day victory with seven balls to spare.Elsewhere, Essex cruised to a seven-wicket win against Warwickshire Bears and The Blaze defeated Yorkshire by four wickets, while Somerset's match against Hampshire Hawks ended in a thrilling tie.'Perfect weather for T20 Blast' - Grace Ballinger columnPublished1 day agoWomen's T20 Blast results, scorecards and fixturesWomen's T20 Blast tableSurrey won 11 and lost just one of their 14 group matches in 2025 to top the table on their way to winning the inaugural competition.Smith, who has struggled for runs in the One-Day Cup, hit three sixes and 10 fours at the top of the order, while Alice Davidson-Richards provided great support with an unbeaten 47 and sealed victory with a six.Warwickshire, beaten by Surrey in last year's final, posted 164-8 in their 20 overs against Essex, with opener Abbey Freeborn making 86 not out off 56 balls.However, a second-wicket stand of 119 between Lissy Macleod (59) and Cordelia Griffith (68) helped the hosts to victory with more than five overs to spare.All-rounder Charli Knott marked her debut for The Blaze with a 29-ball 57 in their home win against Yorkshire.Her in-form fellow Australian Jess Jonassen hit 52 from 29 balls as Yorkshire posted a challenging target of 180, but Knott helped ensure The Blaze were always in contention.Sarah Bryce's nerve under pressure, with 17 needed from the last two overs, was...