Match Preview: Middlesex Women & Middlesex vs. Kent Women & Kent Spitfires

The Vitality Blast is back for 2026!

For the first time ever, both Kent Women & Kent Spitfires will play at the same venue on the first day of the T20 Summer, as the Horses & Spitfires team up to take on Middlesex Women & Middlesex respectively in a Vitality Blast Double Header at Lord’s on Friday 22 May.

Middlesex Women vs. Kent Women will start at 2:15pm, whilst Middlesex vs. Kent Spitfires will begin at 6:15pm.

The Double Header is the first of two this Bank Holiday Weekend, with Kent Women & Kent Spitfires also welcoming Sussex Sharks Women & Sussex Sharks to the St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury this coming Monday.

Kent Women open the 2026 Vitality Blast at the St Lawrence Ground as part of a Bank Holiday Double Header

Entry is INCLUDED in all Kent Memberships, White Ball Passes & Youth/Junior Season Tickets!

Women’s Opposition Report Captain : Saskia Horley

: Saskia Horley Head coach : Marc Broom

: Marc Broom Finals Day appearances: One (2025)

One (2025) Titles: One (2025)

One (2025) 2025 finish : Winners

: Winners 2025 leading run-scorer : Finty Trussler (316)

: Finty Trussler (316) 2025 leading wicket-taker: Saskia Horley (12) Defending champions Middlesex won the first edition of the Women’s Vitality Blast League Two, steamrolling now-Tier 1 Yorkshire by 10 wickets at Northampton in the final. Middlesex head into the 2026 edition of the tournament looking to defend their title with the majority of their squad still intact, with skipper Saskia Horley Middlesex’s top wicket taker in 206 and Finty Trussler’s 316 run the most scored in last year’s competition. The hosts will also be buoyed by victory over Kent Women in the first round of the Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup earlier in the season. Men’s Opposition Report

Previewed by Jon Batham, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay

Captain: Leus du Plooy

Leus du Plooy Overseas players: Eathan Bosch (all)

Eathan Bosch (all) Finals Day appearances: One (2008)

One (2008) Titles: One (2008)

One (2008) 2025 finish: 8th in South Group

8th in South Group 2025 leading run-scorer: Stephen Eskinazi (420)

Stephen Eskinazi (420) 2025 leading wicket-taker: Tom Helm (20)

Peter Fulton has arrived from New Zealand as head coach, but stellar batter Kane Williamson won’t be returning for a second stint and leading run-scorer from 2025, former skipper Stephen Eskinazi has left for Leicestershire. England U19 World Cup final century maker Caleb Falconer has been added to the squad and seems sure to make his Blast debut, while Adam Rossington returns to the club for the first six group-stage games.

Can Fulton succeed where others have fallen short and revive the white-ball fortunes of a Middlesex team who have reached only two T20 quarter-finals since Toby Radford led them to the trophy in 2008? Two-metre Pete has form, leading previous team Canterbury to glory twice in New-Zealand’s premier white-ball competition, the Ford Trophy, though that is a 50-over format.

Wildcard watch: Caleb Falconer. The 19-year-old right-hander has already secured a Hundred contract after announcing himself to the cricketing world with that century at the U19 World Cup final in Zimbabwe. He recently made his first-class debut and looks sure to play a part for a team which needs a creative spark in the shorter format.

Middlesex have an exciting crop of youngsters like Falconer, Sebastian Morgan, Naavya Sharma and others, some of whom took their first steps in the Blast last season. The challenge will be, with no sign of a marquee batter on the horizon, last year’s leading scorer Eskinazi having left, and wicket-keeper/batter Joe Cracknell set to miss the start of the competition with a broken finger, whether Middlesex set and chase down targets in a format where the power hitters are king.

Weather Watch

LONDON WEATHER

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Live Match Centre

Middlesex Women vs. Kent Women & Middlesex vs. Kent Spitfires will be live streamed & embedded into the Match Centre on the Kent Cricket website.

Pictures & sound will be provided by Middlesex Cricket.

Team News

Middlesex Women vs. Kent Women – 2:15pm start

Kent Women Head Coach James Hockley has named a squad of 14 to open the Women’s Vitality Blast League Two.

Unlike Kent Men, Kent Women aren’t a professional side, so player availability reaches further than selection based on fitness, form and application. External factors such as education, work and other commitments play a part in forming Kent Women’s matchday squads.

Captain Megan Belt leads the Horses, whilst Laura Bailey, Grace Poole & Sophie Singer are back in the squad for the first time this Summer.

Rachel King has not been released by Surrey to play in this match. Izzy Cloke misses out due to injury & Tilly Callaghan remains out with a knee injury.

Kent Women’s squad to face Middlesex Women: Megan Belt (Captain), Laura Bailey, Elsa Barnfather, Zeena Bilal, Maddie Blinkhorn-Jones, Kelly Castle, Ella Darlington, Amy Gordon, Sydney Gorham, Isabella James, Grace Poole, Sophie Singer, Coco Streets, Hollie Young

Kent Women’s T20 matchday squads are presented by Qwala.

Middlesex vs. Kent Spitfires – 6:15pm start

Men’s Head Coach Adam Hollioake has named a squad of 14 to begin the Men’s Vitality Blast for 2026.

Sam Billings leads the Spitfires in T20 competition once more, following a Quarter Final finish last Summer.

Kent’s highest T20 run scorer in history, Joe Denly, joins the squad as a part of his new, T20-focused one-year contract for this season. Netherlands international seamer & white-ball contracted Fred Klaassen is also named in the travelling party.

2021 Vitality Blast winner Matt Milnes is in-line to play his first Vitality Blast match for Kent in four years following his return to the Club from Yorkshire this season.

Harry Finch is also selected following an impressive run of form with the bat for Kent’s Second XI.

Jake Lintott has joined the Club on loan until the end of the tournament, and could make his Kent first-team debut after playing for the Second XI this past week. Off-spinning all-rounder Bertie Foreman is also included after signing a two-month contract with Kent this past week.

Australian seamer Tom Rogers has arrived for his third stint as a Kent Spitfire in T20 competition, whilst new Vitality Blast overseas signing Dian Forrester will join up with the Spitfires following his involvement in the IPL with Chennai Super Kings.

Forrester replaces Senuran Muthusamy in Kent’s T20 squad, with Muthusamy now expected to arrive at Kent at the beginning of August.

South African seamer Keith Dudgeon is also available for Kent in the Vitality Blast, but has not been selected after a busy start to the Summer.

Ben Compton suffered a compound dislocation of his finger in the field away at Worcestershire in the Rothesay County Championship, and is now in the rehabilitation phase of his recovery. Grant Stewart & Matt Quinn remain out due to injuries sustained in training.

Kent Spitfires’ squad to face Middlesex: Sam Billings (Captain), Daniel Bell-Drummond, Chris Benjamin, Zak Crawley, Joe Denly, Joey Evison, Harry Finch, Bertie Foreman, Fred Klaassen, Jake Lintott, Matt Milnes, Tawanda Muyeye, Matt Parkinson, Tom Rogers (Overseas player)

Kent Spitfires’ Vitality Blast matchday squads are presented by Shepherd Neame.