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33 minutes ago
The Hundred women’s competition, Sophia Gardens
Trent Rockets 145-6 (100 balls): Sciver-Brunt 38 (26); Davies 3-26
Welsh Fire 122-9 (100 balls): Dunkley 26 (23); King 3-17
Trent Rockets won by 23 runs
Trent Rockets comfortably beat Welsh Fire by 23 runs to keep their faint qualification hopes alive in The Hundred women’s competition at Sophia Gardens.
Rockets successfully defended a competitive 145-6, but they will be eliminated if Manchester Originals beat Birmingham Phoenix in the later game at 14:30 BST.
Fire, who were already knocked out, fell short on 122-9 as they struggled for partnerships throughout the innings.
They were bamboozled by Rockets’ world-class spinners, Australians Alana King and Ash Gardner, who took five wickets between them.
Leg-spinner King extracted plenty of turn and grip from the Cardiff surface with 3-17 while Gardner’s relentless accuracy saw her take the key wickets of Sophia Dunkley for 26 and Hayley Matthews for 18.
Gardner also set up Rockets’ competitive total in a partnership of 67 with England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt during the middle phase of the innings, after Bryony Smith’s dynamic 38 from 27 balls at the top of the order gave them a useful platform.
Rockets were set for a formidable total at 120-2 with 20 balls remaining but Fire dragged back some control as both set batters fell in the space of six balls, with Sciver-Brunt making 38 and Gardner 36.
Freya Davies took two wickets in two balls at the close as she finished with 3-26, but despite their strong fightback, it proved far too much for a batting line-up low in confidence after a miserable campaign.
Fire face unbeaten Southern Brave, who are already confirmed of a final spot, in their final game on Thursday while Rockets conclude their tournament against Birmingham Phoenix on Wednesday.
What is happening on Monday?
It is a decisive day for London Spirit in the women’s competition as they look to boost their top-three hopes by beating Oval Invincibles at The Oval at 15:00 BST.
The men’s game follows at 18:30 BST and Invincibles have already confirmed a place in the knockouts, but Spirit need a win to keep their slim hopes alive.
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