The Blaze had Nadine de Klerk to thank as they fought back to beat Western Storm in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

South African all-rounder de Klerk hit an impressive unbeaten 106, steering her team to victory at Trent Bridge on May 8.

The Blaze, who were chasing Storm's imposing 276, appeared to be headed for defeat after stumbling to 137 for six midway through their innings.

However, 24-year-old de Klerk turned the game around in partnership with wicketkeeper Ella Claridge, 21, who scored her first-ever half-century in women's regional cricket.

Their determined batting partnership, which produced an unbeaten 139 runs, guided The Blaze to victory with 12 balls to spare.

In the preceding innings, Western Storm’s Natasha Wraith top-scored with a career-best 73.

Her fourth-wicket partnership of 93 with captain Sophie Luff and an impressive lower-order contribution from Chloe Skelton propelled Storm to their competitive total.

Blaze captain Kirstie Gordon marked the match with an impressive bowling performance, taking four wickets for 40 runs.

Despite this, the Storm were able to total 275 runs in 48.1 overs.

Somerset County Gazette:

The Blaze match-winner Nadine de Klerk said: “It feels a bit unreal but it shows that if you get stuck in there anything is possible.

"I have to give a lot of credit to Ella for the way she batted.

"She came in under some pressure but was really calm and clear on all her plans"

Her praise of Ella Claridge continued: “She is a very good striker of the ball and was hitting the ball beautifully from the start, so it was just about getting herself in.

"We knew it was a really good wicket and we knew that if we could go deep and build a big partnership we would go close".

Western Storm's captain Sophie Luff, reflecting on their loss, said: "When we had them six down, we felt the game was there to be won but Nadine batted really well and her hundred was very well deserved.”

"They had someone who went on to make a big score and we weren't able to do that".

Looking ahead, Luff added: “We’re nearer the bottom than the top in this competition at the moment, but I don’t think we are that far away.

"It comes down to small margins and we are going to have to dust ourselves down and hope the change of format brings us a change of luck".