Glamorgan Women are celebrating their first piece of silverware after a 32-run win over Gloucestershire sealed the Vitality Blast Women’s League 2 title in glorious Cardiff sunshine.

It wasn’t quite a stroll. Gloucestershire gave the home crowd a nervy finish before finally being bowled out for 122, but for captain Lauren Parfitt, the result was exactly the reward her squad have been chasing after last year’s semi-final heartbreak.

“I’m incredibly proud of a group of girls who work incredibly hard behind the scenes on their skillsets,” said Parfitt.

“Winning is what everyone wants to do so we were glad to get ourselves over the line in what was a really competitive final.

“Our aim is to win trophies, play good cricket, and we’ve done that today so I’m really happy with the result.”

A shaky start, a match-winning stand

The final wasn’t without its early scares. Openers Parfitt and Daisy Jeanes both fell cheaply, leaving Glamorgan needing a partnership to build a total worth defending.

Step forward Bethan Gammon and Megan Sturge. Their third-wicket stand, with Gammon top-scoring with a superb 69, gave Glamorgan the platform they needed, and some disciplined bowling did the rest.

“What a partnership it was to get us to a total that we were happy with,” Parfitt added.

“Our bowlers then backed it up, there was a tricky period in the middle but they held their nerve.

“We fielded incredibly well today and took all the catches that we needed to get us over the line.”

Eyes already on Tier One

There’s little time to celebrate before the hard work starts again: Glamorgan step up to professional status next season, taking their place in Tier One for the first time.

It’s a leap that will pit Parfitt and her teammates against a significantly higher standard of opposition, but the captain believes this season’s One Day Cup campaign will help smooth the transition.

“We’re really excited with the place that we’ve put ourselves in,” said Parfitt.

“We finish the season with 50 over cricket so that will put us in good stead going into next season.”

Priest hails “rollercoaster” day at Sophia Gardens

It capped off a dramatic double-header at Sophia Gardens, with Gloucestershire only confirming their spot in the final after edging out Kent in a semi-final eliminator earlier in the day.

For head coach Rachel Priest, the uncertainty made the eventual triumph all the sweeter.

“It was a really interesting day,” said the former New Zealand international.

“It was tough for the girls to wait around all day not knowing who we were going to play in the final.

“It was a real rollercoaster today and it was good for the fans but not good for my heart rate.

“We needed people to dig in and they did, I think for Gammon to get that score in a final was exceptional and that’s an innings that will be remembered for a long time.”

No illusions about the challenge ahead

With the trophy secured, attention turns to building a squad capable of competing at the top level, and Priest isn’t sugar-coating what lies in store.

“Our main focus is putting a squad together that can be really competitive,” she said.

“We are under no illusions, it’s going to be very tough for a few years, going up to Tier One is a huge step up and we’ve seen that when we’ve played those teams.

“But we’re preparing the girls as best we can and the way they’ve been putting in performances, it’s making our job really hard to give those contracts out at the end of the season.”

For today though, it’s a first ever trophy in the cabinet, and a group of players who have earned every bit of it.

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