Middlesex Preview: League leaders lie in wait for reinvigorated Rapids

Vitality Blast T20 Women’s League 2: Worcestershire Women’s Rapids v Middlesex Women

Venue: St Godwalds Park, Bromsgrove

Date: Sunday 14th June

Scheduled start time: 2:30pm

Match preview sponsored by MSN Pharmacy Group.

Worcestershire Women’s Rapids continue their Vitality Blast T20 campaign on Sunday, welcoming table toppers Middlesex Women to Bromsgrove.

With two wins in the opening five games of the competition, Ed Wilson’s side will be looking to pull off a major coup by knocking the league leaders off their perch.

It was a week of mixed emotions for the Women’s Rapids, going from the highs of a thrilling win away against Kent to the sobering defeat away at Gloucestershire on Sunday.

Bryony Gillgrass made another promising start in Bristol, with the teenager looking to build on her positive starts so far in 2026.

Another batter who made a start last time out was Clare Boycott, who will be eager to rediscover her best form that saw her record a memorable century last summer in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.

Hopes are high within the squad that youngster Caitlin Baker-Smith can add to her impressive wicket tally this summer and inspire an upset for the ages at Bromsgrove.

After a whirlwind few weeks Worcestershire Women’s Rapids star Liv Gough is ready to knuckle down and help her side get back on track, expressing her desire to contribute to a winning cause.  

The 22-year-old has been a mainstay of the Rapids side since her debut in 2024 but was released on a short-term loan earlier this month after Warwickshire loanee Sophie Beech took the gloves on the back of some impressive recent displays for Club and Country.  

However, the young gun was brought back into the fold last weekend for the assignments away at Kent and Gloucestershire and is itching to make her presence felt as her side welcome Middlesex to Bromsgrove this Sunday.  

“I continue to play my part to be as flexible as possible and adapt around the demands of the team.  

“I feel I’ve kept well this year; however I wish at times I would’ve pushed on with the bat a bit more. 

“That is the nature of the game though, I know that, and I am so driven to take my next opportunity and play a role for the girls that hopefully contributes to a positive result.”

The thrilling win against Kent at Canterbury reinvigorated Ed Wilson’s outfit, who showed desire in abundance to seal victory at the death, before Sunday’s underwhelming display at Bristol brought the Rapids back to earth with a bump. 

Featuring with the bat and behind the stumps that day, Gough was one of a number of players who were unable to affect the game in the way they would have liked.  

Having put the defeat last weekend firmly behind them, Gough says her side are braced for Sunday’s visit from the league leaders and are eager to make a more telling contribution with the bat.  

“Obviously it was disappointing to follow such a good win with a loss like that, but we must reflect as a squad and go again.  

“We showed last week that one batter going and taking the game on will produce wins for a team, which is the way we hope to go about our cricket this weekend.  

“We just haven’t consistently posted a competitive score with the bat, including not having enough players push on and post winning scores, as well as not enough partnerships as we would’ve liked.  

“To beat a strong team like Middlesex, we will require everything to come together, and everyone to play the roles and take the opportunities presented to us.  

“We back our abilities as a team, and if we can bring everything together, we can be competitive against any side.” 

Middlesex Women

The Rapids will be more eager than ever to claim victory on Sunday, with the heavy defeat at Radlett the last time the two sides met still fresh in the memory.

Unbeaten so far in this year’s competition, the front runners in the Blast will the favourites, largely due to in form opener Pippa Sproul.

Fresh off a sublime 83 from just 57 balls last time out against Derbyshire Women, the visitors on Sunday will be looking to their star for another big performance.

Also enjoying a bit of a purple patch is bowler Hannah Davis, who returned superb figures of 3-10 from her four overs during that convincing 64-run win last Sunday.