The Hundred: Manchester Originals edge Northern Superchargers amid running chaos | Welsh Fire beat London Spirit to get play-off place
Northern Superchargers and Southern Brave have already secured top-three spots in women's competition in The Hundred, with the other place to be claimed by either Welsh Fire or Trent Rockets; Superchargers beaten by Originals in thrilling end at Emirates Old Trafford
Wednesday 23 August 2023 16:19, UK
Manchester Originals edged to a Hundred derby win over Northern Superchargers as Amanda-Jade Wellington took two wickets and then scored a crucial unbeaten 33 amid some running chaos.
Originals, who can no longer reach the knockout stages, snapped a three-match losing streak with a three-wicket victory at Emirates Old Trafford, limiting the already-qualified Superchargers to 107-8 before stumbling past that total with one ball to spare.
Wellington, who revived the home side from 40-5 as she shared a sixth-wicket stand of 65 with Kathryn Bryce (32), was joined by an injured Sophie Ecclestone with three needed from four balls once Bryce was pinned lbw on the reverse sweep by Lucy Higham.
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Ecclestone was given a runner after tweaking her calf bowling earlier in the game but seemed to forget that fact as she completed a single off the first ball she faced before being run out next delivery - leaving Katie George to strike the winning two through the covers.
Originals skipper Ecclestone, who only bowled five balls due to her leg injury, had already been rested for England's upcoming T20 internationals and one-day internationals at home to Sri Lanka, live on Sky Sports.
But uncapped 17-year-old seamer Mahika Gaur is in England's squad for those matches and showed what she might bring by bowling Superchargers opener Phoebe Litchfield with a beauty.
Superchargers skipper Hollie Armitage (46 off 43) underpinned her team's total, with Alice Davidson-Richards (27) and Jemimah Rodrigues (19) the only other visiting batters to reach double figures as Gaur (2-21), Wellington (2-17), Bryce (2-19) and Fi Morris (1-16) impressed with the ball.
Originals laboured for much of the chase as Wellington's fellow Australia leg-spinner Georgia Wareham claimed 3-7 from 20 balls but Wellington, Bryce and George took the hosts to a nervy victory, a result that dented Superchargers' hopes of qualifying automatically for the final.
The team that finishes top of the table after the eight group games will earn immediate progression to the showpiece match at Lord's on Sunday August 27 and avoid the eliminator a day earlier at The Kia Oval between the sides finishing second and third.
Brave are two points clear of Superchargers at the head of the standings with one fixture to go.
Dunkley stars as Welsh Fire beat London Spirit to claim play-off spot
England star Sophia Dunkley led the way with bat and ball as Welsh Fire defeated London Spirit to qualify for the Hundred finals weekend for the first time.
Dunkley top-scored with 68 as Fire made 161-4 batting first at Cardiff and she then took two key wickets for 15 as Spirit were limited to 138-7 in reply.
Fire's 23-run win means the team which did not win a single match last year, and only two the year before, is now guaranteed at least a place in the Kia Oval eliminator, while they have one game left to try and top the rankings and go straight through to the Lord's final.
It was also a record attendance for a Women's Hundred game in Cardiff of 7,069, who enjoyed watching the home side reach 161, a total no team has topped in this year's competition apart from Welsh Fire themselves.
London Spirit came into the game knowing their own qualification hopes had gone, but a partnership of 68 between Heather Knight and Richa Ghosh, who both scored 34, gave them a flicker of hope before the final wickets tumbled under pressure.
Welsh Fire head to Northern Superchargers next for a straight shootout for the chance to finish top, if Southern Brave do not win their last game at Manchester Originals.
What's next?
The Hundred Live
The Hundred Live
The Hundred continues on Monday with two games from The Kia Oval.
Oval Invincibles Women, whose hopes of a third straight tournament victory were ended by defeat to Southern Brave on Saturday, host Trent Rockets from 3pm with the men's sides then in action from 6pm.
Both matches will be streamed for free on skysports.com and the Sky Sports App, while they will also be shown on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Mix.
Watch The Hundred live on Sky Sports or stream with NOW for £26 a month for 12 months.
