Northants Preview: Beach rallies Rapids to start strong as Steelbacks land at New Road

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

Venue: New Road, Worcester

Date: Sunday 24th May

Scheduled start time: 10:30am

Match preview sponsored by MSN Pharmacy Group.

A hotly anticipated first home match of the year in the Vitality Blast T20, Worcestershire Women’s Rapids return to New Road to face a Northants Steelbacks side primed to raise the curtain on their tournament.

After a successful fox hunt saw the Rapids open their account on Friday with a thrilling opening day win, Ed Wilson’s side will be hoping to back up that performance in front of a packed house.

It will come as no surprise that Ebony-Jade Tweats will be at the centre of attention of this Sunday after her scintillating 77* saw the Rapids past Leicestershire, with the middle-order batter scoring her first half-century in Worcestershire colours.

Experienced duo Clare Boycott and Gwen Davies, who both played key supporting roles to Tweats on Friday, will be hoping to extend their good form as they make their first appearance of the summer at New Road.

Caitlin Baker-Smith helped herself to three wickets at Uptonsteel Grace Road, with the exciting teenager once again reminding everyone of what a crucial part she has to play in Worcestershire’s T20 fortunes during 2026.

Ed Wilson will be hoping Sophia Mitchell is good to go after suffering a small finger injury that saw her leave the field during the fielding innings during Friday’s win.

Jess Beach on “incredibly special” New Road T20 opener

After another lightning start to 2026, Worcestershire Women’s Rapids star Jess Beach is desperate to make the most of the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd in Sunday’s Vitality Blast T20 double-header at New Road.

Having endured some lengthy away trips to places such as Sussex, Leicestershire, and Radlett, Beach and her squad will enjoy their first run out at the place they call home this weekend as the Rapids entertain Northants Steelbacks Women in the first match of a mouth-watering T20 double header.

With a young, new-look squad on a mission to reinvent themselves in the shorter format, experienced campaigner Beach is enjoying another solid start to the season.

Although the wicket column of her tally isn’t quite where Beach would perhaps like, the consistency and rhythm with the new ball for her side has been a real highlight.

“It’s been really enjoyable to play more games in the T20 County Knockout Cup this year, especially after last season when we were unfortunately knocked out in the first round.

“Overall, I’ve been fairly happy with how things have gone so far. Of course, I would have loved to have picked up a few more wickets, particularly in the games against Sussex and Middlesex in the Metro Bank competition, where we didn’t quite get over the line, as those moments could have potentially made a difference in the outcome.

“There have been positives from each game with the ball, and even contributing a little with the bat on one occasion has been a bonus for me.

“The biggest positive for me is that I feel like I’ve managed to set the tone well with the new ball, the majority of the time, after not feeling very confident bowling with that role last season.

“There’s still plenty I want to improve across all areas of my game, which gives me a real focus during training, which I find an enjoyable challenge.”

Since making her debut for the Rapids back in 2013, Beach has gone on to make over 100 appearances for her side, becoming a cornerstone of Ed Wilson’s squad whilst building an established Worcestershire career.

A rollercoaster 2025 saw the squad contend with a change in leadership midway through the season, frequent personnel changes, and new, modernised playing styles, whilst navigating a more competitive, less-forgiving Tier 2 system for the first time in the Club’s history.

For Beach, the one thing that doesn’t change is the excitement that grows out of playing at New Road, where this weekend her side will face off against the Steelbacks in the first match of an enticing Men’s and Women’s double-header.

Beach hopes that the squad can spark some inspiration in front of an enhanced crowd and make the most of the increased opportunities to play in some more double headers throughout 2026.

“It’s really exciting! It’s our first time playing at New Road this season, and for some of the girls, it will be their first experience playing here, which is always special.

“We’re fortunate to train here once a week, so that familiarity definitely helps calm a few nerves. Opportunities to play at New Road don’t come around as often as we’d like, which makes it even more exciting when they do.

“The double header matches are incredibly special! It’s great to see there are five double headers scheduled this year, up from three last season, with two of them at New Road.

“They naturally attract bigger crowds than standalone fixtures, which gives us a fantastic platform to showcase who we are and what we’re about to a wider Worcestershire audience, who also get the opportunity to watch two T20’s in one day!

“The support makes a huge difference, and it also gives us a real opportunity to inspire the next generation.

“For the women’s and girls’ game to keep growing, more young players need to see what’s possible and feel inspired to get involved. Hopefully, by performing on these bigger stages, we can play a small part in encouraging that.”

Northants Steelbacks Women:

Another side who the Rapids will know plenty about after crossing paths in both formats during 2025, the Steelbacks travel to New Road looking to start their T2o Blast season with a valuable away win.

Gemma Marriott Captains the side from the top of the order having enjoyed a purple patch at the start of the summer, batting through the innings in the second round County Cup win over Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire Women.

The Steelbacks batting stocks are further boosted by the timely return to form of the exciting Amelia Kemp.

A stunning 42-ball-54 guided her side home in their opening T20 County Cup assignment of the summer last month, as Kemp showed her class in a thumping nine wicket win over Herefordshire.