Bryce sisters star as Blaze lift Charlotte Edwards Cup

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The Blaze 144 for 3 (K Bryce 62, S Bryce 52*) beat South East Stars 141 for 9 (Redmayne 25, Graham 3-16, Groves 3-33) by wickets

Kathryn Bryce continued her outstanding season with a match-winning 62 off 44 balls as The Blaze, who were losing finalists in both women's regional competitions last season, beat South East Stars by an emphatic seven wickets to lift the Charlotte Edwards Cup at Derby.

Bryce, who led the Scotland side she skippers to qualification for their first T20 World Cup earlier in the summer, shared a decisive partnership of 79 with her younger sister Sarah, who herself rose to the occasion with an unbeaten 52 from 46 balls as Stars' total of 141 for 9 was passed with eight balls to spare.

Kathryn finishes the competition as leading runscorer for good measure, having hit an impressive five half-centuries in a tally of 477.

It rewarded The Blaze captain Kirstie Gordon for her own strong leadership after the heartbreak of losing both finals to Southern Vipers last year. Her team have suffered only one defeat and avoided Vipers this time after the defending champions were knocked out by Stars in the semi-finals, in which The Blaze beat Central Sparks by five wickets.

That sole defeat was inflicted by Stars, who bowled Blaze out for 84 in a five-wicket win on the same ground last Sunday. A repeat victory for the 2021 competition winners never looked on the cards here.

The Blaze conceded 22 in the first over after opting to bowl first, yet bowled with discipline and skill thereafter to restrict Stars to 141 for 9, Australian allrounder Heather Graham taking 3 for 16 and legspinner Josie Groves 3 for 33.

Georgia Redmayne top-scored with 25 and Alice Davidson-Richards 23 for Stars in what looked like a sub-par total even on a deteriorating surface.

Despite left-arm seamer Grace Ballinger's expensive first over, Stars were limited to 45 for 2 in the powerplay. Bryony Smith (17 from seven balls) was leg before sweeping Gordon's left-arm spin, and Phoebe Franklin bowled by Graham for 10, having not batted in Stars' semi-final win over Southern Vipers.

More setbacks for the Stars followed as Groves, stepping up in the absence of England star Sarah Glenn, found turn and bounce in a deteriorating surface to have key batters Sophia Dunkley and Paige Scholfield stumped, leaving Stars 62 for 4 in the ninth.

Emma Jones clobbered Groves for six square on the on side but she was bowled by Graham in the next over. A recovery of sorts by Redmayne and Davidson-Richards ended when mid-on Marie Kelly, having dropped the latter on 19, made amends off the next ball, giving Groves her third wicket.

Having added 31 with her sixth-wicket partner, Redmayne was out when she failed to clear mid-off before Tash Farrant was caught on the square leg boundary off a Gordon full toss in a penultimate over that went for only three, The Blaze skipper finishing as the competition's leading wicket-taker with 22.

Graham bowled Dani Gregory, her last over costing just two after The Blaze restricted their opponents to 16 in the last four.

The Blaze chase was finely poised at 49 for 2 after six overs, Kathryn Bryce shaping up nicely again on 29 from 16, although they had lost Tammy Beaumont, run out backing up in a piece of brilliance by bowler Farrant, before Kelly miscued to extra cover. By halfway, Kathryn and sister Sarah were still together, with the target down to 58 more.

Kathryn, who had made 44 in the semi-final, edged two slightly fortunate boundaries off Franklin before completing her fifth half-century of the competition from 31 balls.

Her hopes of being there to finish the job were ended when she was bowled attempting to reverse sweep legspinner Gregory, leaving that privilege to Sarah, who completed her own half-century off 45 balls before Graham heaved Ryana MacDonald-Gay over mid-off for the winning boundary.