Lancashire were up against Hampshire in the grand finale of the inaugural Women’s One Day Cup on 21st September 2025, at the Rose Bowl, Southampton. The Eleanor Threlkeld-led Lancashire defeated The Blaze in a thriller by 5 runs in the 1st semi-final. The Georgia Adams-led Hampshire, on the other hand, comparatively had a comfortable victory over Surrey in the 2nd semi-final to book their spots in the final. Deservedly, the two best sides of the competition were competing for the title.
Fifties from Maia Bouchier and Georgia Adams lead Hampshire to 288/6
The Hampshire openers, wicket-keeper batter Rhianna Southby and Maia Bouchier, capitalised with a solid 70-run opening partnership, after skipper Eleanor Threlkeld won the toss and inserted them to bat first, at Southampton. Grace Potts broke the stand, by sending Rhianna Southby (35 off 51 balls) to provide the first breakthrough for Lancashire in the 16th over of the innings.
Skipper Georgia Adams joined Maia Bouchier at the crease, and Bouchier ensured the scoreboard kept ticking at a brisk rate, as the Hampshire skipper settled into her innings, en route to their 48-run stand for the 2nd wicket. Mahika Gaur opened her account in the grand finale by ending a confident Maia Bouchier’s (66 off 59 balls) stay at the crease in the 23rd over of the innings. She chipped in with a handy half-century before getting dismissed.
Substantial partnerships of 75 runs for the 3rd wicket between Freya Kemp (41 off 41 balls) and skipper Georgia Adams, followed by another 67-run stand for the 4th wicket between Abi Norgrove (36 off 31 balls) and skipper Georgia Adams (77 off 98 balls), propelled Hampshire to an imposing total, as they finished with 288/6 in their quota of 50 overs.
Naomi Dattani (18* off 14 balls) chipped in with a handy cameo lower down the order for Hampshire. Grace Potts (9-0-47-3) was the standout performer with the ball for Lancashire. While Kate Cross (10-2-55-0), Hannah Jones (10-0-50-1), and Fi Morris (8-0-41-1) played their part with the ball for their side.
Gaby Lewis unbeaten century guides Lancashire to One Day Cup triumph
Lancashire lost the wicket of Alice Clark to an unfortunate run-out in the 5th over, chasing a challenging total of 289, in a high-pressure game. Seren Smale partnered alongside Gaby Lewis, and the duo settled the nerves in their camp with a much-needed 144-run stand for the 2nd wicket, which also took them past the 150-run mark.
Mary Taylor broke the stand, by sending Seren Smale (72 off 85 balls) in the 33rd over of the innings to provide the crucial 2nd breakthrough for Hampshire. The fact that Smale gave away an opportunity to potentially breach the three-figure mark left her gutted as she made the long walk back to the pavilion.
Another run-out courtesy of brilliance in the field ended Fi Morris’s stay at the crease in the 36th over of the innings. It also brought Hampshire back into the contest, despite Gaby Lewis going strong from the other end. She found a dependable ally in her skipper, Eleanor Threlkeld and the duo took their side into a rather comfortable position with a vital 60-run stand for the 4th wicket, which took them closer to the 250-run mark, with more than six overs still left in the bank.
Freya Davies, making her last appearance in professional cricket, got the reward for her consistency, as she got the big scalp of the opposition skipper, Eleanor Threlkeld (32 off 30 balls). Gaby Lewis, being there long enough, was calm and composed at the other end. She carried her bat through and ensured to steer her side over the line with an unbeaten 141 (143 balls), a knock that will be remembered for a long time as Lancashire clinched the Women’s One Day Cup League, with 6 wickets, and 9 balls to spare.
Freya Davies (9.3-0-38-1) signed off from the game with an impressive spell in the final for Hampshire. Mary Taylor (9-0-57-1) was the only other wicket-taker with the ball, while skipper Georgia Adams (10-0-57-0) played her part with the ball for her side. Gaby Lewis was awarded the Player of the Match for her match-defining innings (141* off 143 balls). Her knock included 16 boundaries.
