MATCH PREVIEW: Lancashire Thunder v Somerset Women, Vitality Blast Women
Lancashire Thunder v Somerset Women
Vitality Blast Women
Friday July 18, 2025, 2.30pm
Blackpool Cricket Club
Emma Lamb has hailed the impact of her opening partner Eve Jones on Lancashire’s search for silverware this summer.
Lamb has been the county’s standout player so far this summer, posting 1,033 runs across the three competitions, including the ongoing Vitality Blast.
But her opening partner Jones has provided impressive support, herself contributing 624 runs despite missing the majority of the early-season triumphant Vitality County T20 Cup campaign through injury.
Their opening partnership has briefly been broken up, with Lamb on England ODI duty.
In last night’s T20 Blast four-wicket win over Essex at Chelmsford, Jones opened with Seren Smale and top-scored with a measured 59 off 58 balls. It was her best score of this season’s competition.
Jones and Smale are likely to open again when Thunder meet Somerset at Blackpool in their final game of the competition tomorrow afternoon (2.30pm).
“Eve’s got so much quality and experience, and she’s been brilliant for us this season,” said Lamb.
Jones returned to Emirates Old Trafford late last season from Central Sparks, initially on loan and then on a three-year contract full-time ahead of this summer.
The left-hander played for Lancashire and Thunder in the old county structure and the Kia Super League between 2017 and 2019 before moving down to the Midlands.
She captained Lancashire and was part of the team which won the county 50-over and T20 double during the 2017 season.
The 32-year-old demonstrated that experience Lamb mentioned last night in batting through all but one ball of Lancashire’s chase of 108, which was achieved off the last ball as they had to battle against an attritional pitch and some tight home bowling.
“The old chemistry’s definitely back,” said Lamb. “Eve’s like my best as well, so it’s been really nice that we’ve been back opening together again this summer.
“We communicate well together.
“I mean, we don't always get it right. You can't always get it right together, can you.
“But we've had the experience from the past, and that's definitely helped with what we've done this year.”
The bulk of the Lamb and Jones success came in the first block of Metro Bank One-Day Cup matches through April and May, of which Lancashire won six from eight games to sit second in the table and just a point behind leaders Hampshire.
Lamb and Jones shared in partnerships of 34, 151, 185, 106, 53, 88, 3 and 72.
That competition resumes briefly for two more matches next Thursday before the beginning of the Hundred. Lancashire face Durham at the Banks Homes Riverside and then Essex at Sedbergh the following Wednesday.
Lamb should be available for those two matches. That may be helped by the fact that England’s last of three ODI matches against India is at the Banks Homes Riverside on Tuesday.
Before that, fourth-placed Lancashire will bid to end their Blast campaign with a bang.
Thunder have so far won seven of their 13 games and will want to take some winning momentum into the more important challenges which lie ahead.
England fast bowler Mahika Gaur had starred with three new-ball wickets in bowling Essex out for 107, with wicketkeeper and captain Ellie Threlkeld also taking four catches, a stumping, playing a part in two run outs and adding 20 with the bat.
Threlkeld said: “As a keeper, you’re often judged on dismissals. But I guess you can't control what the batters do. I was busy and managed to get a few to my name, which was nice. It's credit to how the bowlers bowled as that’s on them to create those chances.”
And on Jones, she added: “As a senior player, Eve did exactly what was required of her to bat through and be there at the end.
“I know she'd have loved to have walked off not out, but she was the one who got us over the line. She was the one who stayed calm in the chaos that was going on around her."
Somerset, meanwhile, had their clash with The Blaze at Taunton abandoned because of rain. They had bowled their visitors out for 138 but weren’t allowed the opportunity to chase.
Somerset have only won one of their 13 matches, losing 10 of them, and sit bottom of the Blast table.