Kathryn Bryce’s four wickets and half-centuries from Sarah Bryce and Lucy Higham handed The Blaze a five-wicket victory over Western Storm at Cheltenham College.

Kathryn Bryce took three wickets in an over to dismiss the hosts for 217 and claim figures of 4-20 from 8.5 overs.

Sarah Bryce then raced out the blocks in the chase with a 54-ball 61, before a composed century stand between Ella Claridge (43*) and Higham (62*) guided The Blaze to victory with 7.3 overs to spare.

The Blaze’s skipper, Kirstie Gordon, called correctly at the toss, inserting the hosts at Cheltenham College.

Kathryn Bryce and Grace Ballinger shared the new ball, keeping a lid on the Western Storm’s scoring efforts during the powerplay, the score 28/0 after the first ten.

After Emma Corney and Sophie Smale had extended their opening partnership to 57, Gordon provided the first breakthrough, bowling the former for 23.

Fellow spinner Josie Groves wasted little time in adding the second, striking with her first delivery of the match, Smale caught and bowled for 32.

The experienced duo of Sophie Luff and Fran Wilson built nicely throughout the middle overs, before a mix up allowed the Bryce sisters to combine and run out Luff for 31.

Nat Wraith came and went for a brisk 20, caught and bowled by Cassidy McCarthy, but former England batter Wilson went to her second successive fifty in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

However, Wilson was well caught in the deep just six balls later, for a 68-ball 67, before the dangerous Amanda-Jade Wellington was bowled for a golden duck by Grace Ballinger.

That was the beginning of a lower order collapse from Western Storm, as their final six wickets fell for just 23 runs, Kathryn Bryce ending with figures of 4-20, including three in a single over.

Chasing 218 for victory, the visitors raced out of the blocks, Sarah Bryce in particular finding the boundary with ease.

Tammy Beaumont and Kathryn Bryce fell but The Blaze’s wicketkeeper powered on, reaching her half-century off 37 balls as 75 runs were scored from the first ten overs of the chase.

After putting on the joint highest powerplay score in the history of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, Bryce and Marie Kelly kept pressing on until the latter became Alex Griffiths’ second victim.

That wicket stymied The Blaze’s momentum, with Chloe Skelton adding the scalps of Heather Graham (11) and Sarah Bryce for a 54-ball 61, the score moving onto 115-5 in the process.

Despite the flurry of wickets, The Blaze were well set and Ella Claridge and Lucy Higham consolidated at first, before unleashing some sublime stroke play on their way to a match-winning partnership.

Higham struck her sixth four to reach a third List A half-century before Claridge finished the job with her fourth boundary, the stand between the pair reaching 105 runs at the close.

The Blaze’s last match in this block of Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy fixtures comes on Sunday, when Kirstie Gordon’s side welcome Northern Diamonds to Lindum Cricket Club in Lincolnshire.