Tammy Beaumont’s fifty was not enough for The Blaze to seal their spot in the Metro Bank One Day Cup final at the first time of asking as Hampshire took the spoils by seven wickets in a top-two battle at Utilita Bowl.

Beaumont made 56, posting her 75th List A half-century, as the visitors racked up 249-7, only for Maia Bouchier to respond with 118 as Hampshire completed a successful chase in 39.5 overs.

The fact the hosts just did so inside 40 overs was crucial as it meant they claimed a bonus point, in turn enough to draw level on points with The Blaze and nick top spot on net run rate.

However, all is very much not lost for Kirstie Gordon’s side, as importantly, they still have one more fixture to play where Hampshire do not - hosting basement-dwellers Essex on Friday.

Should The Blaze win that by any margin, they will leapfrog back into top spot and confirm their place in the final, condemning the Rose and Crown to the eliminator against the third-placed team.

After losing the toss and being asked to bat, The Blaze lost Sarah Bryce early, caught at fine leg by Ella McCaughan off the bowling of Daisy Gibb in the second over.

They did battle back strongly, though, as Tammy Beaumont and Kathryn Bryce put in the hard yards against some tight bowling to reach the end of the first powerplay at 36-1

After weathering the early storm, the pair began to put their foot down and found the boundary more frequently, eventually putting on 90 together before the end of the 20th over.

Bryce was bowled by Amanda-Jade Wellington for 36 to curtail that stand, though it took little away from Beaumont, who moved to her well-deserved half-century from 61 balls, with six fours.

She departed for 56 soon after, though, as she found Poppy Tulloch on the rope off the bowling of Bex Tyson, shortly after Georgia Elwiss had also fallen in the same manner.

Tyson struck again to remove Orla Prendergast for 16 in the 31st over, leaving the visitors 139-5, before Emma Jones and Kirstie Gordon came together for the sixth wicket to steady the ship.

Together, they added 57 from 69 balls in a fluent stand, nudging the score almost to 200, before Tulloch bowled Jones for 26 and saw Gordon, who made 37, caught by Freya Kemp at mid-on.

Despite losing both, Lucy Higham added 34 from 27, a total which formed part of a stand worth 36 with Josie Groves and included 15 off the final over, to push The Blaze to a competitive score.

Hampshire began their response by facing Cassidy McCarthy in what was her first appearance of this season’s One Day Cup, and she would have started with a maiden too but for a narrow wide.

However, the home openers started strongly as Bouchier and McCaughan amassed an opening stand of 98 from the first 19.1 overs, before the latter was caught and bowled by Groves for 40.

England international Bouchier remained the key player, though, having picked up her half-century in a swift 51 balls just before McCaughan’s dismissal, and she carried on afterwards.

With Abi Norgrove for company, Bouchier continued to motor her side on, reaching 145-1 at the halfway point, and she posted her second century in the space of nine days from 97 balls.

Norgrove too was soon raising her bat for her fifth List A fifty from 48 deliveries, with the pair together adding 116 for the second wicket and taking Hampshire to 214-1 at the 36-over mark.

Attention was fixed on whether they could do it within the requirements for a bonus point, though, and The Blaze did set nerves jangling by dismissing Norgrove and Bouchier in consecutive overs.

Grace Ballinger saw the former caught behind by Sarah Bryce, while Bouchier fell to an outstanding take by Michaela Kirk on the midwicket rope to give McCarthy a wicket on her 50-over return.

However, with the damage realistically already done, new pair Freya Kemp and Rhianna Southby proceeded to edge Hampshire home, completing the chase off the penultimate ball of the 40th over and seal their bonus-point win.