Marie Kelly says staying positive and playing brave cricket will see The Blaze through their next game against Southern Vipers in the Isle of Wight (Tuesday 11 July, 10.30am start).

The right-hander is part of a squad of 14 for the clash.

The teams haven’t faced one another since The Blaze fell at the final hurdle of the Charlotte Edwards Cup in Worcester, but Kelly feels that the momentum gained from a comprehensive victory over Northern Diamonds last week will stand the side in good stead.

“We were really happy with our bowling performance at Chesterfield to restrict them to that 185 total,” she said.

“We knew we could chase that to stay top of the table, and we’re also in a really good place with the squad. People are stepping up at different times, especially with new girls coming in.

“I think Cassidy (McCarthy) bowled really well on her debut, Sophie Munro stepped up and took a couple of wickets, and then it was nice to see Saz (Sarah Bryce) get her 50 as well. It just shows that everyone can step up at different times and that’s a characteristic of a good side.

“The girls are in a really good spot, and we’re looking forward to trying to keep up that winning momentum.”

Kelly has also stepped up for her team, fulfilling the role of captain when regular skipper Kirstie Gordon was called up for England duties.

“It’s been fun, but also challenging too!” said Kelly of the responsibility.

“It makes you realise how much Kirstie thinks about while she’s out there.

“For me, it’s just about reminding everyone to keep playing that positive cricket that we want to play, always looking at how we’re going to take wickets and create opportunities with the ball and bat to take the team over the line.”

That last encounter between The Blaze and Southern Vipers saw the Charlotte Edwards-led side claim the trophy that bears their coach’s name, in a rain-affected encounter.

Kelly feels the experience of falling short showed the side what was required to succeed consistently against a team which has set the standard in women’s regional cricket.

“We know we need to be more positive against them,” she said.

“They have a strong batting line-up and in the last game, we were a bit tentative.

“This time I think we’ll just look to be really positive and play brave cricket, which is what we’ve done for the rest of the season.

“It’s also good to remember that it’s pretty much an away game for the opposition as well [with the fixture taking place on the Isle of Wight], meaning it’s a level playing field in that sense and so hopefully we can continue our success.

“With Vipers, any of the England players they have tend to be a bit more aggressive, but I think we’ve got similar skills that match up to them.

“We need to focus on the fact that with our best balls, people can’t score runs off them.

“We’ve given a few loose ones away so it’s about getting back in our areas, and fielding well too. And with the bat it’s about balancing attacking and playing sensibly to take the win.”