Oxfordshire Women – Tier 3 Division 2 T20 Blast Winners

Oxfordshire Cricket were crowned champions of Tier 3 Division 2 after beating Shropshire by 38 runs in the Vitality T20 Blast in a dominant display at Wormsley on Sunday. The side remain unbeaten in the competition following 8 successive victories in the group stages.

Oxfordshire won the toss and elected to bat, making excellent use of the power play scoring 55 runs for the loss of 1 wicket inside the first 6 overs. Sophie Grayson’s (33 from 22) powerful ball striking came to an end when both her and Sophie Mitchelmore (21 from 20) were run out in the same over. Oxfordshire rebuilt well and continued scoring freely thanks to a match winning 49 from 35 balls from Aimee Diab. Whilst wickets continued to fall, Oxfordshire were ruthless with their aggressive running until the end of their innings and made Shropshire rue their dropped catches, which saw them post 150-9 from their 20 overs.

The two opening bowlers of Maya Barnwell and Sophie Grayson set the tone for the next 20 overs, restricting Shropshire to 28-4 in the power play, which included a double wicket maiden for Grayson. The unrelenting pressure from the Oxfordshire bowlers was backed up by a flawless and highly impressive team fielding performance, including 6 catches. After an excellent run out on the boundary from Lottie Oxton and a sharp catch behind the stumps from Ellie Ingram, the game was put to bed by the experienced Genny Porter and Sophie Mitchelmore, bringing the Shropshire innings to a close at 112-8.

Oxfordshire will now be promoted in this competition to Division 1 for the 2026 season and the side hope to emulate this success in the 50 over competition later on in the summer.

Head coach George Setterfield said:” I’m over the moon for this group of players who thoroughly deserve this success. It’s a fantastic achievement by the entire squad and they have earned the trophy right to celebrate such a successful campaign. I can’t wait to see the team translate this form into the 50 over campaign and compete for a spot in what would be their second finals day of the season”

Captain Ellie Ingram said “ Today was an amazing team performance and that is exactly what this squad has been all about this season. We stuck to our game plans, executed our skills well and backed each other to perform to the best of our abilities. This title is thoroughly deserved after an undefeated campaign in the blast and I’m really looking forward to seeing what this special team can achieve during the rest of the season.”