Emma Jones Seals The Blaze's Stunning Treble with Last-Ball Boundary

Emma Jones carved her name into The Blaze’s history with one clean swing of the bat, drilling the final ball to the rope to complete a remarkable treble and rip the One-Day Cup from Hampshire’s grasp at the Utilita Bowl.

Two runs needed. One ball left. Fielders crowding the bat, the home crowd on its feet. Jones, 34 not out from 25 balls, rocked back and pulled Daisy Gibb to the boundary, igniting wild Blaze celebrations and leaving Hampshire floored for the second year in a row on their own turf.

The Blaze, already owners of the T20 Blast and County Cup trophies this season, had looked to be strolling to their target of 252. Tammy Beaumont, all class and control, anchored the chase with 74, while Georgia Elwiss matched her composure with a polished 64. Between them, they built the kind of platform that usually kills a final as a contest.

For a while, it felt routine. Hampshire’s total, competitive but not daunting, began to shrink at a steady rate. The Blaze’s dressing room relaxed. The away fans found their voice. Beaumont’s experience at the top of the order and Elwiss’ assurance through the middle gave the chase a calm inevitability.

Then the game flipped.

Hampshire’s spinners grabbed it by the throat. Amanda-Jade Wellington, probing and relentless, ripped through the middle order with figures of 3-36. Bex Tyson backed her up superbly, snaring 2-46 as the pressure cranked up and the runs dried. Four wickets tumbled for just 29 runs. The Blaze, once cruising, suddenly found themselves needing 30 from the final three overs.

Nerves crept in. Mis-hits, near-misses, anxious glances to the scoreboard. Hampshire sensed the opening and swarmed. Every dot ball drew a roar. Every scampered single felt like a small victory or a narrow escape.

Jones refused to blink.

Coming in with the game tightening, she played with clarity and nerve. She picked gaps, ran hard, and chose her moments to attack. While partners came and went, she held the chase together, turning a spiralling situation into a calculated pursuit. Her strike rotation kept the equation within reach; her clean hitting kept Hampshire from suffocating the innings completely.

The closing overs turned into a duel: Hampshire’s spin-led discipline against Jones’ composure. Each boundary dragged The Blaze back into control, only for a dot ball or a well-bowled over to hand the momentum straight back. The match teetered on a knife-edge right up to that final delivery.

Gibb marked out her run with the field set for drama. Two needed. A single would tie, a dot would hand Hampshire a lifeline and force a shared spotlight on a tie-break. Jones ended the conversation with one decisive pull, the ball racing away to the boundary and with it any doubt about who owned this season.

For Hampshire, it was brutal. Another final at home, another heartbreak. Twelve months on from losing the 2025 showpiece to Lancashire, they stood again under grey skies and bright lights, watching another team lift the silverware on their own ground.

For The Blaze, the shot meant something far bigger than just a cup win. It completed a clean sweep of domestic honours: T20 Blast, County Cup, and now the One-Day Cup. A season of dominance, sealed not with a procession, but with a last-ball finish that will be replayed for years.

Champions often talk about defining moments. For The Blaze, it arrived with Emma Jones on strike, two needed, one ball left, and a season’s work hanging in the air. She didn’t just meet it. She smashed it to the fence and into club folklore.