London Spirit Women produced a composed all-round performance to defeat Birmingham Phoenix Women by 32 runs in the 28th match of The Hundred Women’s Competition 2026 at Lord’s on August 9.
After being asked to make the running, London Spirit gradually built their innings around crucial middle-order contributions before Marizanne Kapp provided the decisive acceleration. Kapp’s unbeaten 57 off just 28 balls, including two fours and six sixes, proved to be the defining innings of the contest and earned her the Player of the Match award. Birmingham Phoenix, despite useful contributions from several batters, could only reach 108/8 from their 100 balls in reply.
London Spirit’s innings began with an early setback as Grace Harris fell for a four-ball duck, caught by Alice Capsey off Fatima Sana, leaving the hosts at 1/6. Amy Jones then took responsibility for stabilising the innings, initially finding support from Marie Kelly. Jones and Kelly added 44 runs for the second wicket, taking London Spirit from 6/1 to 50/2. Jones played positively during her 30-ball 39, striking six boundaries, but her innings ended at 44 balls. Kelly followed soon after for 17 from 22 balls, caught by Alice Capsey off Sana, with London Spirit slipping to 75/3 after 68 balls.
That moment brought Marizanne Kapp to the centre, and the experienced all-rounder completely changed the tempo of the innings. Kapp combined with captain Charlie Dean to add another 25 runs, taking the score from 75/3 to 100/4. Dean contributed seven from 10 balls before King dismissed her, but Kapp remained unbeaten and continued to attack. She then found an excellent finishing partner in Nadine de Klerk, with the pair adding an unbeaten 40 runs from the final 13 balls. De Klerk scored 13 not out from six deliveries, including a four and a six, while Kapp unleashed six maximums and two fours in her sensational 57*.
London Spirit eventually finished on 140/4 from 100 balls, setting Birmingham Phoenix a target of 141. For Birmingham Phoenix, Fatima Sana was the standout bowler with 1/25 from 20 balls, while Alana King claimed 2/18 from 20. Alice Capsey took 1/45, Lauren Filer went wicketless for 26 runs, and Linsey Smith conceded 18 from her 15 balls without a wicket. Annerie Dercksen bowled one set of five balls for five runs and picked up no wickets. However, London Spirit’s superior batting finish, led by Marizanne Kapp’s explosive unbeaten half-century, ultimately proved decisive
Birmingham Phoenix’s chase got off to a steady but ultimately uneven start. Davina Perrin and Jemima Spence added 10 runs before Spence was dismissed for two from five balls. Perrin then joined Ellyse Perry, with the pair putting together 19 runs for the second wicket. Perry scored six from 10 balls before George dismissed her, leaving Phoenix 29/2. Perrin continued to fight and added 18 runs with Emma Lamb, but her innings ended on 29 from 28 balls at 47/3, caught by Charlie Dean off George.
Lamb became the key figure in the middle order, first sharing four runs with Alice Capsey, who made 10 from seven balls. Lamb then added six with Annerie Dercksen, but Dercksen fell for just one from five balls, leaving Phoenix at 64/5. Tammy Beaumont joined Lamb and helped add 17 runs, but Beaumont was dismissed for five from six balls, with the score moving to 79/6. Lamb eventually departed for a valuable 36 from 26 balls, including two fours and a six, as Kapp took the catch off Nadine de Klerk at 96/7.
With the required run rate climbing, Fatima Sana struck a few boundaries and added 13 runs with Lamb’s replacement before Lamb’s dismissal had already left Phoenix in trouble. Sana remained unbeaten on 14 from 11 balls, but Alana King was dismissed for one, leg before wicket to de Klerk, with Phoenix reaching 108/8 from their 100 balls.
London Spirit’s bowlers collectively ensured the target remained beyond Birmingham Phoenix. Marizanne Kapp returned 1/10 from 15 balls, while Hannah Rainey claimed 1/22 from 20. Charis Pavely was particularly impressive with 1/6 from 10 balls, and Nadine de Klerk finished with 2/21 from 15. Charlie Dean also contributed with three wickets for 17 runs from 20 balls, while Katie George remained wicketless for 32. Lucy Higham and Pavely also played their part in the field, with London Spirit maintaining pressure throughout the chase.
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