Ebony-Jade Tweats scored a sensational 77 not-out as she led Worcestershire Women’s Rapids to a two-wicket win over Leicestershire Foxes as Ed Wilson’s side made the perfect start to the 2026 Vitality Blast.
It was Caitlin Baker-Smith (3-18) who inspired a fightback by the Rapids bowlers who took a combined five wickets in the final four overs to restrict the Foxes to 156-8.
Coming to the crease at 23-3, Tweats showed stunning composure and maturity to guide her side out of trouble, supported by valuable cameos from Gwen Davies (16) and Clare Boycott (24).
Despite losing a cluster of wickets towards the death, it was apt that Tweats should be the one to hit the winning runs in the final over of the contest, as the Rapids claimed a crucial opening day win on the road.
Having won the toss and elected to bowl, the Foxes enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges as Jess Beach and Caitlin Baker-Smith’s early attempts to secure an early breakthrough went unrewarded.
On a sweltering afternoon, it was the home side who made hay in the sun, utilising the powerplay to good effect as the Rapids struggled to restrict the hosts.
However, the momentum was halted in the sixth over of the contest when Caitlin Baker-Smith picked up the scalp of Teekasingh for 26, as the Foxes ended the powerplay 55-1.
That soon became 57-2 when the Foxes skipper, Becki Brooker, was stumped for 24 off the bowling of Meg Bishop, as the visitors worked their way back into the contest.
A 49-run stand for the third wicket dominated the middle overs, however, as Boycott rotated herself, Bishop, Bryony Gillgrass and Sophia Mitchell.
Daisy Egerton entered the fray and made the next impact for the away side, as she had the dangerous Lucy Weston caught at midwicket for 21, after a smart grab from Sanya Khurana.
As both teams continued to battle through the closing stages of the innings, the Foxes were eyeing a score close to 180 at one stage, but a terrific fightback from Ed Wilson’s side saw Worcestershire claim 5-21 in the final four overs of the innings.
Meg Bishop (2-17) returned to clean bowl Lucy Western for a breezy 31, before Gillgrass grabbed the wicket of Ellen Watson without scoring.
The momentum shift continued as Boycott returned in the 18th over to remove Chissell, before a superb catch in the deep by Gwen Davies at deep-midwicket saw Baker-Smith grab her second wicket as the Foxes stumbled to 153-7.
The Rapids youngster helped herself to a wicket with the final ball of the innings as Sophie Beech took a neat stumping, with the Rapids completing an impressive second-half fightback to restrict Leicestershire to 156-8.
Gillgrass, promoted to open on her return, was given a reprieve on her second ball when she was put down at mid-wicket, but partner Sanya Khurana wasn’t so lucky as she was bowled on her first delivery.
Sophie Beech showed her quality almost immediately, finding the boundary twice in quick succession as she looked to up the Rapids run-rate early in the piece.
Beech’s promising cameo was ended all too abruptly, however, when the England U19 star was bowled for 13 at the end of the fourth over.
A tough start for the visitors continued as Gillgrass was caught for nine as she looked to go aerial over extra cover, as the Rapids slumped to 23-3.
It was Ebony Jade-Tweats who reignited the Worcestershire chase, with the teenager wasting no time getting stuck into the home side’s attack, launching seven boundaries as she propelled the visitors to 50-3 at the end of the powerplay.
Lucy Weston was then removed from the attack after just four balls for bowling two waist-high no-balls, before Tweats punted her replacement, Teekasingh, into the stands with her very first ball as Weston’s substitute.
At the other end, Davies began to open up, playing a reverse sweep off the first ball of the eighth over and dissecting the two fielders either side of point to keep the pressure on, but the experienced campaigner played one shot too many as she was bowled for 16 as the visitors ended the eighth 79-4.
The untimely dismissal of Davies was quickly followed by that of Sophia Mitchell, for two, as the middle-order batter was run out for two.
Tweats remained, with Worcestershire’s in and set batter now joined by skipper Boycott, pushing onto a superb half-century off just 33 balls, as the pair set about the pursuit.
Boycott played a perfect support role to Tweats, as the pair played with fluency to take the Rapids beyond 100 and well in touch with the required run-rate.
Tweats showed some more deft touches as Boycott stood firm, with belief growing on the visitor’s balcony.
As the fifty partnership for the fifth-wicket was raised from just 39 balls, the required run-rate dropped below six-an-over, before disaster struck as the Rapids skipper was run-out in unfortunate circumstances, after making a pivotal 24.
Needing 10 from the final three overs for an opening day victory, the loss of Bishop (2) and Baker-Smith in successive balls threatened to derail the Rapids quest for victory, but Tweats whipped the first l ball of the final over off her pads for four to seal a memorable two-wicket win.
