YORKSHIRE suffered a 39-run defeat at the hands of unbeaten Somerset in the Vitality Blast at Taunton.

The visitors’ decision to put the hosts in backfired as Sophie Luff top-scored with 57 from 35 balls with Niamh Holland weighing in with an unbeaten 41.

Somerset's in-form captain struck eight fours and a six and shared in stands of 68 and 42 with Bex Odgers and Anika Learoyd for the first and second wickets respectively, as the home side posted 177-5.

Yorkshire’s Beth Langston bowled tidily for 1-23 and Marie Ward claimed 1-27.

The White Rose reply was undermined in its infancy, Erin Thomas losing off stump to Alex Griffiths, influential skipper Lauren Winfield-Hill finding short fine leg off the bowling of Liv Barnes and Jess Jonassen cleaned out by Erin Vukusic as the visitors slumped to 29-3 in the fifth.

Slow left-armer Barnes then had Ami Campbell held at long-on with the score 64-4 in the ninth, at which point Sterre Kalis represented Yorkshire’s last hope.

The Dutch international rose to the challenge, going to an enterprising 50 from 33 deliveries with nine fours, only to then pop a ball from Barnes to square leg with a further 74 needed off seven overs.

When leg-spinner Lola Harris bowled Maddie Ward and Ines Blackwell with successive deliveries in the 14th, the game was effectively up for the visitors. Erin Vukusic took 2-17, with Harris, 3-12 and Barnes 3-19.

Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com - 18/04/2026 - Cricket - Metro Bank One Day Cup Women - Yorkshire Women v The Blaze - Headingley Cricket Ground, Leeds, England - Yorkshire's Sterre Kalis hits out against The Blaze.

placeholder image — Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com - 18/04/2026 - Cricket - Metro Bank One Day Cup Women - Yorkshire Women v The Blaze - Headingley Cricket Ground, Leeds, England - Yorkshire's Sterre Kalis hits out against The Blaze.

“They obviously got off to a bit of a flyer with the bat, and we never quite got away in our powerplay,” said Yorkshire captain, Winfield-Hill.

“I actually thought we played quite well through the middle and just lost our way at the end. And it’s usually wickets in hand when you’re chasing a total like that.

“Obviously two or three down early, it’s going to be a tough ask. Fair play to Somerset, they played well.

“I think our fielding has improved a lot from where we were probably a couple of weeks ago. But the back end of their innings cost us. They were going at 13s.

“You expect people to come hard in the powerplay, but that back end was probably the difference because we could have been chasing 150-160.”