Sarah Bryce feels The Blaze need to ‘embrace the occasion’ as they appear in a third successive Finals Day in the T20 format.
The reigning Charlotte Edwards Cup champions also made T20 Finals Day in 2023, and head to Taunton on Monday 26 May for the first-ever Vitality Women’s T20 County Cup showpiece.
The Blaze will take on Lancashire Thunder in the day’s second semi-final (2.30pm), with the winners facing either Bears Women or Surrey from 6.45pm.
Ticketing and matchday information is available here…
Bryce is part of a 14-strong squad for Finals Day, with captain Kirstie Gordon added to the party which travelled to Kent for Saturday’s victorious quarter-final clash.
“Anything can happen in knockout cricket, and on a Finals Day you do have that little bit of extra pressure,” she said.
“But it’s about enjoying that, and not letting it get on top of you.
“I think we did that really well at Derby last year [2024 T20 Finals Day]; we really embraced the occasion.
“I’m sure there will be tough moments out there, it’s never going to be easy, so when we’re maybe a bit under the pump hopefully we can take that experience of knowing how it feels to get over the line.”
Bryce top-scored for The Blaze in their quarter-final win over Kent, making 94 from 61 balls as the visitors recovered from 10/2 after three overs to post 177/4.
“It’s always nice to contribute to the team, and having missed the first game in the County Cup it was nice to get into the competition and get going with a decent score to get ready for Finals Day,” she said.
“Even after those early wickets, I think we still looked to try and be positive.
“It seemed like a really good wicket and Canterbury is a great ground, so it felt like the par score would be relatively high.
“We just looked to try and capitalise on anything we could and build a partnership.”
The Bryce sisters both made their maiden County Cup appearances in the last-eight clash against the Spitfires, while Tammy Beaumont, Sarah Glenn, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Amy Jones are all now away on England duty.
Wicketkeeper Sarah feels, however, that their absence is giving others the chance to shine.
“We’ve had the England players back for a bit, which has been brilliant, but it does mean there have been a few players who haven’t had the opportunity to play as much,” she said.
“They’re still quality players, so it’s been great that they’ve had the opportunity to deliver and do some great stuff for the team.”
Lancashire have enjoyed the upper hand over The Blaze in 50-over cricket so far this summer, winning both of their encounters in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
But for Bryce, Monday represents a clean slate.
“They’re a quality team, but it’s a different format, so I think we can go out there and express ourselves and not be too worried about the results earlier in the year,” she said.
“You can be a bit more free in terms of how you play the game in T20, and that’s been refreshing this week.
“It’s a new game, it’s a new day, and hopefully we can get over the line.”
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