Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Beth Langston returned the pick of the Yorkshire bowling figures today, 1-23 from four overs.
SCORECARD
Somerset v Yorkshire
Vitality Blast, Women
Wednesday May 27, 2026, 2.30pm
The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton
Toss: Yorkshire won it and elected to bowl
Teams: Somerset – Bex Odgers, Sophie Luff c, Anika Leayrod, Niamh Holland, Alex Griffiths, Chloe Skelton, Katie Jones w, Jess Hazell, Lola Harris, Olivia Barnes, Erin Vukusic.
Yorkshire – Lauren Winfield-Hill c/w, Erin Thomas, Jess Jonassen, Sterre Kalis, Ami Campbell, Maddie Ward, Beth Langston, Ines Blackwell, Ria Fackrell, Holly Garton, Jess Woolston.
Match summary: Yorkshire slipped to their third Blast defeat in three – this by 39 runs – as they fell short of chase a 178-target at sunny Taunton.
A strong top order performance, led by home captain and opener Sophie Luff’s 57 off 35 balls, set Somerset on their way to 177-5. Her opening partner Bex Odgers made 30, while numbers three and four Anika Learoyd and Niamh Holland added 35 and 41 not out respectively. The latter faced 27 balls.
Somerset’s second win from three games, added to a tie, was sealed as Yorkshire finished on 138-9.
Only Sterre Kalis with an impressive 51 off 35 balls really got going for the visitors, who fell short as left-arm spinner Olivia Barnes and leggie Lola Harris struck three times apiece.
Picture by Harry Trump/Getty Images. Sophie Luff, Somerset’s captain, posted the highest individual score of the match at Taunton this afternoon.
Report: Somerset got off to a flyer on a beautiful West Country day, with openers Bex Odgers and Sophie Luff sharing 68 inside eight overs.
Luff hoisted Holly Garton’s leg-spin over long-on for six early on before Odgers – keen to sweep and reverse sweep – took three successive fours down the ground off Jess Woolston’s seam.
Yorkshire’s bowlers erred, though they did improve from just outside of the powerplay on the back of Beth Langston trapping a reversing Odgers for 30.
Unfortunately, just as the innings reached halfway at 84-1 in good batting conditions, Somerset motored again.
Luff, who reached her fifty off 30 balls and hit eight fours and a six in all, and Anika Learoyd took four fours off a Garton over, including another three in three balls. The young leg-spinner had a tough day with the ball after the teenager’s hugely impressive couple of games against The Blaze and Surrey.
Jess Jonassen had Luff stumped – 110-2 early in the 13th – before Learoyd was caught at long-on off Maddie Ward’s bowling with the score on 139 at the end of the 17th over.
But Somerset were boosted again by Niamh Holland, who helped take 37 off the last three overs, which also saw two of her team-mates Alex Griffiths and Chloe Skelton run out coming back for two.
Ward and Langston finished with the pick of the figures, 1-27 and 1-23 from their respective four overs.
Yorkshire lost Erin Thomas bowled pulling at Griffiths’ seam at the end of the first over, but Lauren Winfield-Hill and Jonassen got things moving nicely.
When Jonassen pulled the left-arm spin of Olivia Barnes over deep backward square-leg for six, the White Rose were 28-1 in the fourth over.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Maddie Ward gave Yorkshire hope in partnership with Sterre Kalis.
However, not long after, they were 29-3 having lost Winfield-Hill and Jonassen in the space of three balls.
Winfield-Hill, on 11, swept a low full toss from the left-arm spin of Olivia Barnes to short fine-leg before Jonassen was bowled for 17 driving at seamer Erin Vukusic’s first ball.
From there, the task was just too tall.
Sterre Kalis played very nicely to keep Yorkshire’s hopes alive.
Ami Campbell holed out to long-on off Barnes for six – 63-4 in the ninth – but Kalis drilled two fours past mid-off against the off-spin of Chloe Skelton as 15 came off the 11th over to move into the 40s and take the score to 86-4.
She gained help from fifth-wicket partner Ward, who started brightly, and when Kalis reached her fifty off 33 balls in the 13th over, the White Rose were 104-4 in the 13th. Though, it was a hammer blow when Kalis fell caught sweeping at Barnes at the end of that over – 104-5.
Ward, for 22, and Ines Blackwell were then bowled with successive deliveries from leg-spinner Lola Harris in the next over, leaving Yorkshire 110-7, and that was realistically that.
Barnes finished with 3-19 from four overs and Harris 3-17, the latter also bowling Ria Fackrell.
Vukusic also bowled Garton to leave the score at 129-9 after 19.
Magic moment: Sterre Kalis played some lovely shots in her 51 off 35 balls, mixing power with poise. In all, she hit nine fours, the best of which was hoisted over cover against the off-spin of Chloe Skelton.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Lauren Winfield-Hill was on media duties after today’s defeat to Somerset.
Turning point: Yorkshire’s chase started brightly as they moved to 29-1 midway through the fourth over. But when the left-arm spin of Olivia Barnes and the seam of Erin Vukusic struck in the space of three balls to remove Lauren Winfield-Hill and Jess Jonassen, the White Rose had a mountain to climb at 29-3.
Stat of the match: That Somerset’s top four batters – Odgers, Luff, Learoyd and Holland – all got to 30 or beyond really set things up for the hosts.
What they said: Yorkshire captain Lauren Winfield-Hill – “They obviously got off to a bit of a flyer with the bat, and we never quite got away in our powerplay.
“I actually thought we played quite well through the middle and just lost our way at the end. And it’s usually wickets in hand when you’re chasing a total like that.
“Obviously two or three down early, it’s going to be a tough ask. Fair play to Somerset, they played well.
“I think our fielding has improved a lot from where we were probably a couple of weeks ago. But the back end of their innings cost us. They were going at 13s.
“You expect people to come hard in the powerplay, but that back end was probably the difference because we could have been chasing 150-160.”
What’s next: Yorkshire face Essex Eagles at Headingley under lights on Friday night (6.30pm). White Rose captain Lauren Winfield-Hill faces the county she spent last season’s Blast on loan with.
