Southern Brave, led by skipper Georgia Adams, were up against Oval Invincibles, led by skipper Lauren Winfield-Hill, at the Rose Bowl, Southampton, in the 19th match of the ongoing 5th edition of the Women’s Hundred.
The home side is on an unbeaten run so far in the ongoing season, bouncing back in style from the bottom of the table campaign in the previous edition of the tournament. The Oval Invincibles also regained momentum with back-to-back victories to get their campaign back on track in the 5th edition.
The Invincibles made one change to their line-up, the 19-year-old youngster, Daisy Gibb, replaced Rachel Slater in the starting 11. Southern Brave retained the same side that took the field in their previous encounter.
The Southern Brave top-order fire to post a challenging 161/6
The Southern Brave openers Maia Bouchier and Danielle Wyatt-Hodge got their side off to a brisk start, with a 59-run opening stand, after the Oval Invincibles skipper Lauren Winfield-Hill won the toss and inserted them to bat first. Tash Farrent broke the stand, by sending Maia Bouchier (34 off 23 balls) back to the pavilion outside the powerplay, providing the first breakthrough for Oval Invincibles.
Laura Wolvaardt joined Danielle Wyatt-Hodge at the crease, and the duo stitched a crucial 22-run partnership for the 2nd wicket, which took them closer to the 100-run mark around the halfway mark in the innings. Phoebe Franklin cleaned up Danielle Wyatt-Hodge (26 off 24 balls), who was growing in confidence as the innings progressed, a timely breakthrough for the Lauren Winfield-Hill-led side.
Sophie Devine joined Laura Wolvaardt at the crease, and the pair switched gears with a quick-fire 42-run partnership for the 3rd wicket, which took the total past the 120-run mark. Amanda-Jade Wellington got the big scalp of Laura Wolvaardt (36 off 19 balls) to complete her 50 wickets in the Women’s Hundred.
Freya Kemp (24 off 11 balls) provided the Southern Brave with a power-packed finish, which took the total past the 160-run mark (161/6) in their quota of 100 deliveries. Sophie Devine (19 off 14 balls) played her part with the bat for her side. Phoebe Franklin (20-5-28-2), Marizanne Kapp (20-11-25-1) and Sophia Smale were impressive with the ball for the Oval Invincibles.
Clinical show from the Brave bowlers’ hand Invincibles the heaviest defeat
Chasing a stiff total of 162, the Invinicibles’ batters crumbled under immense pressure, credit to the impeccable lines and lengths delivered by each and every bowler introduced by the Southern Brave skipper, Georgia Adams. As a result, the Oval Invincibles folded for 72, with 17 balls to spare. It also happened to be the 3rd lowest total in the Women’s Hundred. The margin of 89 runs is also the heaviest defeat in the history of the Women’s Hundred.
Amanda-Jade Wellington (18* off 18 balls), Joanne Gardner (10 off 9 balls), Marizanne Kapp (10 off 17 balls) and Lauren Winfield-Hill (10 off 10 balls) were the only batters to enter the double digits with the bat for Oval Invincibles. Mady Villiers (20-9-17-3), Lauren Bell (20-15-11-2), Sophie Devine (15-8-15-2), and skipper Georgia Adams (8-6-2-2) made significant inroads with the ball for Southern Brave.
Sophie Devine was yet again named the Player of the Match for her impressive all-round performances, scoring 19 off 14 balls with the bat, and returning with match figures of 15-8-15-2 with the ball for her side. Southern Brave extended their winning streak to 5 games in the ongoing edition of the Women’s Hundred 2025.
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