The Blaze maintained their perfect start to the Vitality Blast campaign with a solid four-wicket victory over struggling Warwickshire Bears at Edgbaston.

It is three wins out of three for the East Midlands side after they bowled with discipline to restrict the Bears to 158 for 8. Openers Abigail Freeborn, with 56 off 45 balls, and Meg Austin (44 off 31) added 95 but wickets fell freely thereafter against an attack led by former Bears seamer Grace Ballinger and Lucy Higham.

The Blaze then reached 159 for 6 with four balls to spare thanks to Marie Kelly, another ex-Bear, who scored 45 off 32 at the start and a robust unbeaten 27 (16) from Emma Jones at the end. Amu Surenkumar took 2 for 19.

The Blaze have started the Blast on fire but Warwickshire, finalists last season, are bottom of the table after three straight defeats sustained by a squad stretched to the limit by injuries and international calls.

The Bears, put in, were given a strong start by Freeborn and Austin who put 50 on the board in 32 balls. They added 95 from 62 before The Blaze hit back hard to take three wickets for five runs in nine balls. Austin lifted Georgia Elwiss to long-on and Lucy Higham disposed of Georgia Redmayne, stumped, and Charis Pavely, caught in the deep, in the same over.

The innings never regained momentum. Freeborn reached her second half-century in three games but was caught behind off Charli Knott after top-edging a reverse-sweep on to her pad. Knott then resumed her productive beat at long-on where she took her third catch, to dismiss Surenkumar off Ballinger. The first ten overs having produced 94 runs, the last ten yielded 64.

Kelly gave The Blaze’s reply a lightning start with two fours and a six in the first over, from Alexa Stonehouse. Tammy Beaumont swung Stonehouse to long leg but Kelly and Knott, both dropped twice, added 73 in seven overs to put their side in control.

Both fell in Surenkumar’s first over, Knott caught at deep midwicket and Kelly at extra cover, with 61 needed from nine overs. Elwiss and Ella Claridge found 24 of them before the latter reverse-lapped Mary Taylor to short fine leg.

Successive fours by Jones off Millie Taylor eased the pressure on Blaze. With just three runs needed, Mary Taylor hit back to have Elwiss and Georgia Boyce caught at midwicket off successive balls but, with two runs needed from the last over, it was too little too late for the Bears.