WOMEN'S BLAST ROUNDUP: In the match between The Blaze and Somerset at Taunton, rain denied the bottom-placed hosts a chance to win after restricting the visitors to just 138 all out
Chelmsford: Essex 107, Lancashire 109-6 - Lancashire won by four wickets
Two wides from what should have been the last ball of the match saw Lancashire home by four wickets against Essex in a low-scoring T20 Blast thriller at Chelmsford.
The Red Rose made hard work of chasing down 108 on a used pitch, but Eve Jones' 59 from 58 balls got to the brink before the last-ball drama. It was hard on Essex, who defended their score of 107 all out like tigers, Eva Gray (1 for 14) and Maddie Penna (2 for 11) their standout bowlers.
Earlier, Mahika Gaur threatened an early finish, the young England quick took 3 for 1 in her first 12 balls, including the wickets of Lauren Winfield-Hill and Grace Scrivens, both for ducks, as the hosts stumbled to 12 for 3.
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Olivia Barnes celebrates a wicket during an impressive 3 for 12 against The Blaze (Harry Trump/Getty Images)
Taunton: The Blaze 138, Somerset - No result
Somerset spinners Olivia Barnes and Chloe Skelton produced a standout performance with the ball, only for rain to bring a premature end to an intriguing T20 Blast contest against The Blaze at Taunton.
Barnes claimed 3 for 12 and Skelton 3 for 26 as The Blaze were bowled out for 138 in their 20 overs after being put in on a turning pitch. The visitors were indebted to Georgia Elwiss, who top-scored with 35, while Michaela Kirk and Lucy Higham hit 24 and 22 respectively at the death to hoist their side to a competitive total.
Thereafter, low cloud and persistent light rain moved in from the West, making further play beneath the Taunton floodlights impossible and leaving umpires Ian Blackwell and Surendiran Shanmugam no option but to abandon the game with only one innings completed.
Already qualified for Finals Day, The Blaze remain in second place behind Surrey, while Somerset continue to prop up the table with one win in 13 games. The teams were awarded two points apiece for a no-result.
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