After match number 2 between Manchester Originals & Welsh Fire and match number 3 between London Spirit and Oval Invincibles were washed out due to overcast weather conditions and constant rains. Play was finally possible on the third day of the tournament at Leeds.
The Phoenix took on Northern Superchargers and were put into bat first with seemingly tough overcast conditions for the batters. Sophie Devine opened the batting for The Phoenix with skipper Eva Jones on the other end. They were off to a formidable start with boundaries easing through at will.
But it did not take long for Kate Cross to send the skipper back to the pavilion for just 10 runs. Amy Jones made it to the middle and kept rotating strike with Devine. But lacking intent and failing to find the middle of the blade consistently Jones had to depart. And from there came a batting collapse staring at the Birmingham divas. At one end Devine kept devouring the bowling lineup but failed to find support on the other end. Which restricted their score to just 110/8 in their quota of 100 balls. Abigail Freeborn’s 14(11) cameo at the backend helped them breach the three digit mark.
The Chargers bowled a disciplined line, not giving away anything to the batters for free. The batters were made to work hard for each run resulting in a total of just a little above runner ball. Kate Cross (1/26), Leah Dobson (1/10), Alice Davidson-Richards (3/20) and Georgia Wareham (1/24) were among the wicket-takers.
Quick hands – Georgia Wareham grabs a stunning catch 😲#CricketTwitter #Hundred2023 pic.twitter.com/WnjMfH1nHk
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) August 3, 2023
The Chargers were off to a fantastic start as both openers Marie Kelly and Jemimah were looking in good touch. It was not long before Jemimah was done by Issy Wong, but in the context of the game, her 4 boundaries with the new ball set the tone for the batters to follow. Kelly was joined by Litchfield in the middle where a crucial partnership of 35(25) was made. Litchfield scored boundaries at regular intervals and anchored the innings. She batted along with Armitage to add another partnership of 37(27) which drifted the game away from The Phoenix. Eventually, the Superchargers won comfortably by 7 wickets with 22 balls to spare.
The Phoenix tried out 8 bowlers in the course of their bowling innings but did not get much success. Issy Wong, Katie Levick, and Hannah Baker got one wicket apiece.
Comfortable 7 Wicket victory for Northern Superchargers with 22 balls spare.
Alice Davidson-Richards scored 11* (5), picked 3 wickets & grabbed 2 catches. #CricketTwitter #TheHundred pic.twitter.com/hj4jMUC29F
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) August 3, 2023
Alice Davidson-Richards was adjudged as the man of the match for her 11*(5), fantastic bowling figures of (3/20) and 2 catches