The Hundred 2024: Sarah Bryce consigns Trent Rockets to third straight defeat

Fire, who reached the Eliminator in 2023, go to the top of the table after a third win in four

ECB Media | 03/08/2024 at 17:40

Trent Bridge: Trent Rockets 130-5, Welsh Fire 131-4 - Welsh Fire won by six wickets

Welsh Fire made it three wins from four in The Hundred as they beat Trent Rockets – who have now lost three in a row – in a controlled chase with two balls to spare.

When Rockets skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt won the toss and opted to bat she would not have been expecting to lose a key batter to the first ball of the match. But that's exactly what happened, with Bryony Smith playing on to the impressive Freya Davies.

And when Grace Scrivens went seventh ball, also for a duck, things were not looking good for a side badly in need of a win.

The Rockets' powerful and dependable middle order of Sciver-Brunt and Ash Gardner went some way to repairing the damage after Natalie Wrath had hit a 24-ball 28. They were 33 for 2 after the 25-ball Powerplay and 60 for 3 at the halfway mark.

But when Sciver-Brunt overbalanced against Jess Jonassen and was stumped for a predictably excellent 37 from 26, Welsh Fire were right on top.

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^{Grace Scrivens and Bryony Smith were removed in the space of the first seven deliveries (ECB via Getty Images)}

Gardner and Heather Graham were able to press the accelerator to an extent but a total of 130 seemed under par, with all of the Fire bowlers proving tricky to get away, Davies excellent up top and Aussie Jonassen picking up two wickets with her ever-accurate left-arm spin.

Fire also lost two early wickets, Sophia Dunkley brilliantly caught by Kirstie Gordon and Tammy Beaumont lbw to England colleague Sciver-Brunt to provoke a few jitters on the bench.

But West Indian superstar Hayley Matthews and Scottish keeper Sarah Bryce rebuilt, taking the score up to 49 from 33 balls before Sciver-Brunt repeated her lbw trick to get rid of the dangerous Matthews.

From there Jonassen and Bryce kept the required run rate in check-in, putting on 38, and Georgia Elwiss took over once Jonassen was out, adding a further 44 with the impressive Bryce, who ended up with an unbeaten 51 from 39 balls.