Glenn, Gordon share seven as Blaze secure Finals Day berth

Sarah Glenn and Cassidy McCarthy stifled Essex's batting as The Blaze successfully defended 139 at Chelmsford to seal their place at Women's Vitality Blast Finals Day.

England legspinner Glenn finished with figures of 3 for 17, following seamer McCarthy's 1 for 8 from three overs up top and skipper Kirstie Gordon weighed in with 4 for 23, including two wickets in as many balls. Those efforts all helped to ensure Essex were restricted to just 104 for 9 in reply - and the home side's defeat leaves them only a remote mathematical chance of joining The Blaze in the last four.

Earlier, Heather Graham top-scored with 33 from 23 as the visitors were bowled out two deliveries short of their full allocation, with Essex seamer Eva Gray recording a season's best of 4 for 18.

Having won the toss and opted to bat, The Blaze were soon in trouble as Georgia Elwiss departed at the start of a tight spell by Maddie Penna (1 for 20), while opening partner Michaela Kirk was bowled trying to cut Jodi Grewcock.

The Bryce sisters started to rebuild, but Abtaha Maqsood (2 for 26) dismissed both her fellow Scotland internationals in the space of four balls, tempting Sarah out of her ground for a stumping before Kathryn (27 from 25) was pinned in front.

Graham immediately went on the offensive, taking successive boundaries off Maqsood and lifting Kate Coppack over the rope at long-on but, once she was caught at point off Gray, The Blaze struggled to regain momentum.

Glenn and Lucy Higham gave their side some hope with a partnership of 30 from 24, but the boundaries dried up and the pair were both picked off in the final over as Gray wrapped up the innings with three wickets in four balls.

However, the 140 target looked steeper for Essex after three miserly overs from McCarthy - which included the wicket of Grace Scrivens, top-edging an attempted paddle through to the wicketkeeper. Lauren-Winfield followed, labouring to 8 from 18 before she miscued a slog sweep off Glenn as the visiting spinners began to turn the screw, with only two boundaries registered in the powerplay.

Grewcock (33 from 31) and Penna (26 from 24) did their best to inject some zip into the innings and the Australian had just pulled Gordon for four when she tried to hit the next ball over the top and picked out the long-off fielder.

Grewcock's departure two overs later triggered a middle-order collapse and Gordon removed Gray and Sophia Smale from successive deliveries, with Coppack - unbeaten on 14 -the only other batter to reach double figures as Essex's challenge petered out.