Surrey start Women’s T20 Blast defence with win

Surrey start Women’s T20 Blast defence with winImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Surrey opener Bryony Smith hit 10 fours and three sixes in her 35-ball 71Published1 hour agoReigning champions Surrey began the defence of their Women’s T20 Blast title by chasing a target of 186 to beat Lancashire Thunder by six wickets.Opener Eve Jones made 56 and former Australia captain Meg Lanning scored 40 off 22 balls in Lancashire’s 185-7.But hosts Surrey, given an excellent platform by captain Bryony Smith’s 71 off 35 balls, sealed an opening-day victory with seven balls to spare.Elsewhere, Essex cruised to a seven-wicket win against Warwickshire Bears and The Blaze defeated Yorkshire by four wickets, while Somerset’s match against Hampshire Hawks ended in a thrilling tie.’Perfect weather for T20 Blast’ – Grace Ballinger column