Focus remains on The Blaze’s trip to Edgbaston for their final Charlotte Edwards Cup group game against Central Sparks, with no intention to look ahead to Finals Day quite yet, according to wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Bryce.
Having already booked their spot in the final four - who will compete for the crown at Derby on Saturday 22 June - The Blaze succumbed to defeat for the first time this T20 campaign at the hands of South East Stars last time out.
Bryce, who formed a 55-run partnership with sister Kathryn to beat Sparks in the reverse fixture, is one of 13 named for the fixture at Edgbaston on Wednesday (11.30am start).
Having incurred a blip in form with the defeat to Stars, Bryce asserted that the team’s focus will lie fully on finishing the group stage with a positive result before Saturday’s Finals Day takes precedence, with the squad also seeing a silver lining in the result.
“It wasn’t the performance we wanted but it’s not a bad time to get that out of the way,” said Bryce, “It would be nice to put in another good performance to get some momentum and go into Finals Day on the back of a win.
“Last year we went into Finals Day unbeaten and ended up having a performance like we had the other day. We would prefer it to be now than on Saturday, so it’s not the worst thing to have happened.”
A win in their final group game would guarantee that The Blaze lock horns with last year’s victors Southern Vipers in the semi-finals, with Sparks the opponents should Bryce’s side be overtaken by South East Stars at the top of the table.
But the route to glory, says Bryce, will make no difference to preparations ahead of Derby.
“It’s so close in the top four, we could end up playing Vipers or Sparks dependent on results. If we could get a win against them (Sparks) it just gives us that mental advantage having beaten them twice already.
“At the end of the day if we want to win it, we’ve got to win two games, so the opposition doesn’t matter - we just need to turn up and win those two games.”
Having come within touching distance of silverware on both fronts last year, the in-form batter spoke both of her delight at the team’s consistency to reach three consecutive finals days - including the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final last year - but also of the danger in pondering the defeats suffered in both 2023 finals.
“We’re in a really good spot, we’ve put in a lot of good performances in this campaign,” she said, “It’s important not to overthink about last year, but just to be excited that we’ve reached another Finals Day.
“To reach three on the trot is a great effort from the team and hopefully we can take it one further this time around.”
Bryce has been in rich form both for The Blaze and for her country, present for many match-clinching moments and often so alongside her sibling.
The pair were in the middle together when Scotland qualified for the Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time in their history back in May, and more recently dazzled with a match-winning 100-run partnership at Lord’s, Sarah the half-centurion in the win against Sunrisers.
Bryce noted that regular international cricket has only enhanced her domestic game: “Most of the Scotland games were T20s, so more of the same format which is handy.
“The more games you play, it definitely helps keep the rhythm going, especially in T20 where it’s so short and quick. Those extra games under the belt definitely help.”
With the climax of the Charlotte Edwards Cup now firmly on the horizon, Bryce has been assured by the breadth of talent and individual displays seen in this year’s competition which, she says, should stand The Blaze in good stead for Saturday, while a win over Central Sparks would set the tone perfectly for the semi-finals.
“It’s a team sport for a reason, you have success when loads of people contribute at different times. It’s exciting going into Finals Day where it could be anyone’s day.
“It’s funny because I suppose Sparks are our local rivals in a way, it would be great to get one over them.”