Lucy Higham and Linsey Smith changed the game as five wickets fell in 13 balls to deny the Rockets a win; The Oval Invincibles also claimed victory; watch every game in The Hundred on Sky Sports; every women's match and selected men's fixtures streamed for free
Wednesday 9 August 2023 18:51, UK
Trent Rockets threw away the chance of a first win of The Hundred season as they collapsed from 102-2 to 107-7, finishing 10 runs short of the 134 target set by Northern Superchargers.
With opener Bryony Smith hitting nine fours and three sixes in a superb 70 off 44 balls, the Rockets had looked entirely comfortable, needing 43 to win with 35 balls left.
But spinners Lucy Higham (3-29), herself a former Rocket, and Linsey Smith (2-27) turned the match on its head in a dramatic conclusion that saw the Superchargers pick up their second win in the competition and leave the hosts at Trent Bridge winless after three matches.
The Superchargers had backed themselves to defend a target after winning the toss, posting 134-4 from 100 balls, Phoebe Litchfield leading the way with 38 from 27 balls after Jemimah Rodrigues had opened with 33 from 32, the total bolstered by Bess Heath's 23 from 10 at the death.
But with Smith in blistering form from the outset, it never looked enough.
Nat Sciver-Brunt admitted she would have batted first too, given the chance, but Katherine Sciver-Brunt limited the consequences of losing the toss, conceding only eight runs from 15 balls in the powerplay.
At the other end, left-arm spinner Kirstie Gordon benefitted from the pressure Katherine Sciver-Brunt created as Marie Kelly skewed her first ball to short third, the Superchargers posting 24-1 from 25.
Rodrigues got lucky on 17 when an edge off Naomi Dattani struck wicketkeeper Lizelle Lee on the knee, and again on 20, driving Gordon on the off side, where Fran Wilson put down a good chance at extra cover, but then Alexa Stonehouse struck an important blow for the Rockets just past halfway, bowling the India star behind her legs for 33.
The Superchargers, needing boundaries, lost Georgia Wareham to some excellent work from Lee standing up to Dattani, the South African keeper grabbing a thin top edge above her head, after which Litchfield, having heaved a six over cow corner off Alana King, holed out attempting a repeat.
But Heath whacked a six and three fours to lift the total to 134-4 from 100, with Katherine Sciver-Brunt oddly not bowled out.
It did not look enough as the Rockets put themselves ahead of the game by collecting 33 without loss from the first 25, the Superchargers offering too much width to Smith and Lee, although the former was put down on 21 when Alice Davidson-Richards shelled a straightforward catch at mid-off.
Lee eventually departed for 16, caught at deep midwicket, but by the halfway point the target was already down to 64, the irrepressible Smith smiting big sixes off Wareham and Lucy Higham to reach 50 from 32 balls, her second half-century in the 100-ball format.
The 25-year-old right-hander muscled a third maximum, this time off Linsey Smith, before another mighty slog off Wareham at last found a fielder, Higham taking her second catch to end what had looked nailed on as the match-winning innings.
The Rockets needed 33 from the final 25, yet suddenly the picture changed with only seven runs accrued from the next 16 balls with five wickets lost as Higham bowled both Nat Sciver-Brunt and Wilson in the space of three balls with her clever off breaks.
Smith took two in four to dismiss Jo Gardner and Harmanpreet Kaur - again both bowled - before Higham resumed with a third in the space of four balls, hitting the target again as Dattani's swing failed to connect.
Suddenly the contest was down to the last five deliveries and the Rockets, having looked almost home and dry minutes earlier, needed an implausible 24 to win, falling 10 short despite Katherine Sciver-Brunt's six off the last ball.
Ryana MacDonald-Gay's produced a masterful spell of seam bowling as the Oval Invincibles beat Manchester Originals by five runs to give the reigning champions their first win.
The Kent seamer took 4-16, including the crucial wicket of Deandra Dottin, whose 42 had threatened to carry the Originals over the line in their chase of 129.
She departed with 14 needed off the last seven deliveries and the visitors ended just short on 123 for nine.
Alice Capsey (50) and Dane van Niekerk (42) earlier put on 61 off 37 balls for the third wicket as the Invincibles posted what proved to be a winning 128 for seven.
The hosts, having been put into bat, were 17 for one at the end of the powerplay with Lauren Winfield-Hill fell lbw to Mahika Gaur for just three.
England star Capsey was instrumental as the hosts get back into the contest. She was originally given out for 29, only to be reprieved after a successful umpire review.
And after Sophie Ecclestone bowled Suzie Bates for 13, Capsey combined with Van Niekerk for a key partnership
Capsey, who was dropped for 32 by the wicketkeeper, reached her half-century but was then stumped off Fi Morris.
Van Niekerk kept pushing the score forward before she was caught by Ecclestone off Amanda-Jade Wellington.
The Invincibles' defence got off to a strong start when Marizanne Kapp had England opener Emma Lamb lbw for a first-ball duck.
The Originals struggled to get going as they reached 42 from 60 balls before last year's leading runscorer Laura Wolvaardt tried to give some impetus to the innings.
Wolvaardt hit 27 from 23 balls before she fell to MacDonald-Gay following a successful lbw review.
The home side continued to make it difficult for the Originals as MacDonald-Gay had Ami Campbell caught for 17.
Wellington was lbw to Eva Gray for six before Dottin began to show her power, taking 13 off five Capsey deliveries.
Ecclestone fell soon after for 11 and Manchester's hopes appeared to rest with Dottin.
But the former West Indies all-rounder was caught at short third in the penultimate set of five, one of four wickets to fall in the final 10 balls as the Invincibles held their nerve.
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