Twin half-centuries from Paige Scholfield and Alice Capsey followed by Amanda-Jade Wellington’s 3-fer give Oval Invincibles a comprehensive victory to kickstart their campaign
We are into the 4th edition of the Women’s Hundred since it’s inaugural edition in 2021. Oval Invincibles were crowned as the champions of the tournament for the first couple of editions. After finishing as the runners-up for the first couple of editions, the Southern Brave clinched their maiden Women’s Hundred title last year by defeating the Northern Superchargers by 34 runs in the final.
The two-time champions Oval Invincibles were all set to face Birmingham Phoenix in the tournament opener at the Kennington Oval. Birmingham Phoenix skipper Ellyse Perry won the toss and opted to field first. After being inserted to bat first, Paige Scholfield and Lauren Winfield-Hill got their side off to a good start, scoring 28 runs in 19 balls. Katie Levick provided the first breakthrough for Birmingham Phoenix.
Alice Capsey joined Paige Scholfield at the crease and the duo stitched a massive 90-run partnership for the 2nd wicket to take their side close to the 120-run mark. Hannah Baker picked up the wicket of Paige Scholfield to provide the much-needed 2nd breakthrough for Birmingham Phoenix. Marizanne Kapp joined Alice Capsey at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 26-run partnership for the 3rd wicket to take their side close to the 150-run mark.
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Oval Invincibles eventually ended up with a total of 150/5 in their quota of deliveries. Paige Scholfield (71 off 40 balls), Alice Capsey (52 off 40 balls), and skipper Lauren Winfield-Hill (12 off 10 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Oval Invincibles. Emily Arlott (20-10-19-2), Katie Levick (15-3-16-1), and Hannah Baker (15-1-29-1) were the top performers with the ball for Birmingham Phoenix.
Chasing a stiff total of 151, the Birmingham Phoenix openers Suzie Bates and Sterre Kalis got their side off to a good start, with a 32-run opening stand. They lost three wickets in quick succession, including the wicket of their skipper Ellyse Perry. Wicket-keeper batter Amy Jones joined Sophie Devine at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 32-run partnership for the 4th wicket to take their side past the 50-run mark.
Sophia Smale picked up the wicket of Sophie Devine to provide the 4th breakthrough for Oval Invincibles. Seren Smale joined wicket-keeper batter Amy Jones at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 14-run partnership for the 5th wicket to take their side closer to the 100-run mark.
Amanda-Jade Wellington picked up the wicket of the wicket-keeper batter Amy Jones to provide the 5th breakthrough for her side. Birmingham Phoenix were eventually bundled out for 105 runs and eight balls to spare. Birmingham Phoenix fell 45 runs short of the target. Wicket-keeper batter Amy Jones (21 off 15 balls), Sterre Kalis (17 off 12 balls), and Emily Arlott (13 off 10 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Birmingham Phoenix.
Amanda-Jade Wellington (20-12-9-3), Mady Villiers (17-7-17-2), and Ryana Macdonald Gay (10-4-11-1) were the top performers with the ball for Oval Invincibles. Paige Scholfield was awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant match-winning performance (71 off 40 balls) with the bat.