The Hundred 2025 has already reached a halfway stage. With the weekends scheduled for double headers, the 15th match of the tournament was played between Trent Rockets Women and Southern Brave Women. The match was played at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, and visitors, Southern Brave, won the toss and opted to bowl first.
Lauren Bell opened the bowling for the Brave, while Bryony Smith and Natasha Wraith took the crease for the Rockets. Seventeen-year-old spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman shared the new ball with Bell, and the decision paid off immediately. Corteen-Coleman struck early, dismissing Smith for 10, and followed it up with a massive wicket in the same over, removing England’s national skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt for a duck.
With two quick wickets down, Ashleigh Gardner joined Wraith in the middle, playing a few aggressive strokes to relieve the early pressure and stabilise the innings. However, the momentum shifted again when Mady Villiers was introduced into the attack and dismissed Wraith, putting the Rockets back under pressure.
Lauren Bell returned to the attack and made an instant impact, removing Jodi Grewcock to deepen the Rockets’ troubles. Corteen-Coleman was reintroduced and continued her dream spell, taking out Heather Graham on the 42nd ball and Emma Jones on the 45th. Bell then removed the dangerous Gardner for 25, and shortly after, dismissed Alexa Stonehouse for a duck.
At that point, the Rockets were in deep trouble, reduced to just 55 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. However, a resilient ninth-wicket partnership between Alana King (24*) and Kirstie Gordon (32) added 51 crucial runs, helping the Rockets reach a more respectable total of 106 from their 100 balls. Sophie Devine wrapped up the innings by taking two consecutive wickets on the penultimate and final deliveries, bundling out the hosts and ending any hopes of a late surge.
Chasing 107, Southern Brave opened their innings with England’s Maia Bouchier and veteran Danni Wyatt-Hodge. However, the start was far from ideal. A mix-up between the openers led to the run-out of Wyatt-Hodge for just 4. Things worsened for the visitors when Kirstie Gordon struck with her spin, dismissing Laura Wolvaardt for just 1, leaving the Brave in early trouble.
New Zealand’s seasoned campaigner Sophie Devine then joined Maia Bouchier at the crease. The pair worked to stabilise the innings after Brave had been reduced to 10 for 2. Together, they built a steady 69-run partnership for the third wicket, bringing some much-needed momentum to the chase. However, just as the Brave were starting to look comfortable, Alana King struck with a crucial breakthrough, stumping Bouchier for a well-made 42, putting the pressure back on the chasing side.
Although Sophie Devine was still at the crease, she appeared scratchy, scoring at a strike rate below 100. After the dismissal of Bouchier, Freya Kemp joined her in the middle and made an immediate impact. She struck a much needed six off Kirstie Gordon, reducing the equation from 21 off 15 balls to 11 off 10, adding tension and excitement to the closing moments of the chase.
Australian pacer Heather Graham was brought into the attack and made an immediate impact, removing the dangerous Freya Kemp and setting up a tense finish. Chloe Tryon walked in with the Brave needing 8 runs from 7 balls. Sophie Devine, showing her experience, struck a crucial boundary off the final ball of Graham’s over, reducing the equation to just 3 runs needed from the last 5 deliveries.
Cassidy McCarthy was handed the ball for the final over. Devine took a single off the first ball, handing the strike to Tryon. McCarthy followed up with a well-executed dot ball. But on the third delivery, Tryon held her nerve, waited patiently, and glanced the ball fine to the boundary, sealing the victory.
Young Tilly Corteen-Coleman was named Player of the Match for her outstanding figures of 4 for 13 in 20 balls, along with two catches in the field.
With that, Southern Brave, who failed to register a single win last season, secured their fourth consecutive victory of the 2025 campaign and now sit proudly at the top of the table.
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