MATCH PREVIEW: Lancashire Thunder vs. Yorkshire, Vitality Blast Women
Lancashire Thunder v Yorkshire
Vitality Blast, Women
Friday July 10, 2026, 3pm
Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground
David Thorley describes the prospect of Friday’s Vitality Blast Roses double-header day at Emirates Old Trafford as a “dream”.
Lancashire’s women face their Yorkshire counterparts from 3pm before the men’s teams meet under the floodlights four hours later.
This has been an eagerly-anticipated, much-talked-about event ever since the fixtures were released by the ECB last November.
Both fixtures will be televised live on Sky Sports, with Lancashire’s women aiming to complete the Blast double over Yorkshire in front of a bumper home crowd. They won comfortably at York last Wednesday.
Red Rose director of women’s cricket Thorley said: “It’s the one fixture you always look out for first in the calendar, the Roses game, particularly in T20. They’re really exciting days.
“There will be a lot of people watching this, both in the ground and on TV.
“When we had that season last year without a Yorkshire team, it felt like there was something missing for us in the schedule. These games are real highlights.
“To have it on TV is great, and to have the men and women both playing back-to-back is the dream. Thankfully, we managed to make the fixtures work and here we are. It’s just going to be an all-round great days for the fans, the players, coaches, everyone.”
Lancashire chased 161 to win by five wickets with 17 balls to spare at York last week, with young leg-spinner Venus Weerappuli claiming three wickets before opener Eve Jones top-scored with 57.
It is clearly a frustration to both counties that the points from Friday afternoon’s games will not contribute to prizes, with Lancashire sitting bottom of the Blast group stage table and Yorkshire second-bottom.
Both sides have won only two of 10 games and are out of the running for Finals Day. This is the penultimate group stage fixture.
Still, it will be a day to remember. Given the rivalry, both sides will be desperate to win.
“Having this double-header as our home game is brilliant,” said Thorley.
“We’ve got Emirates Old Trafford back now after the T20 World Cup. It’s going to be our first fixture back after what feels like a long time away.
“We can’t wait, and hopefully we can get a win along with the lads.”
Since last Wednesday’s game at Clifton Park in York, Lancashire have actually lost two away games at Durham and Hampshire, while Yorkshire have won two games at home to Somerset and away to Warwickshire.
Lancashire will have to cope without four star players because of England duty; Sophie Ecclestone, Emma Lamb, Grace Potts and captain Ellie Threlkeld. They are all in the squad for the one-off Test Match against India at Lord’s, which also starts on Friday.
It will be the first time ever that any Red Rose side takes the field in professional cricket - since the start of the Kia Super League in 2016 - without Threlkeld.
She has played 157 matches in a row wearing the Red Rose.
Yorkshire actually won at Emirates Old Trafford earlier in the season in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
They are captained by former England wicketkeeper-batter Lauren Winfield-Hill and have ex-Australia all-rounder Jess Jonassen as their overseas player.
They will also field current England all-rounder Sarah Glenn, who has played nearly 100 limited overs internationals but never a Test Match.
Opposition player to watch
Sarah Glenn was a statement signing for Yorkshire ahead of their elevation up to Tier 1 for 2026.
Arriving from The Blaze, the leg-spinning all-rounder actually missed the first couple of months of the summer because of a broken finger.
She has played seven times for Yorkshire in both the Blast and the One-Day Cup, taking as many wickets and posting useful scores of 30 and 21 not out. The latter came to help her county get over the line against Warwickshire at Edgbaston on Sunday as they chased a 162-target.
Glenn, 26, is centrally contracted by the ECB but has not played for England since last October.
She suffered her aforementioned broken finger whilst on an England training camp during the latter stages of the most recent winter.
Previous meeting
Teenaged leg-spinner Venus Weerappuli’s fabulous 3-13 set Lancashire Thunder up for a morale-boosting six-wicket Roses Vitality Blast victory over Yorkshire at York last Wednesday.
Weerappuli, 16, has broken into Lancashire first team during this competition having impressed in age-group and Academy cricket. She has grown up in Yorkshire.
This excellent career best included the key wicket of opener Ami Campbell for 47 off 21 balls as Yorkshire slipped from 79-1 in the seventh over to 160-7.
Thunder openers Meg Lanning with 34 off 15 balls and Eve Jones 57 off 38 then led an exhilarating but stress-free chase as Lancashire completed their second win in eight games with 17 balls remaining. Their slim quarter-final hopes were still alive at that stage but, unfortunately, have since been ended.
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