Oval Invincibles marched to the final of the inaugural edition of the Women’s Hundred with a 20-run win over Birmingham Phoenix in Eliminator. Marizanne Kapp top-scored with 37 to take the Invincibles to 114 before removing three top-order batters to settle the course of the match.
Put into bat, the Invincibles got off a shaky start. They lost both openers, Georgia Adam and Dane van Niekerk, cheaply. Fran Wilson, coming off a string of low scores, made 21 in 17 balls before falling prey to Kirstie Gordon.
Kapp and Alice Capsey (26) then added 54 for the fourth wicket, but neither was able to accelerate. Kapp’s dismissal reduced them to 90/4 in 81 balls. The next 19 balls produced just 24 runs.
For the Phoenix, Gordon claimed two wickets, while Issy Wong, Emily Arlott and Erin Burns shared three wickets.
Both Phoenix openers failed to open their accounts. Both Katie Mack and Evelyn Jones edged to Sarah Bryce off Kapp. Captain Amy Jones and Erin Burns then steadied the innings to bring their team back in the game.
They duo added 52 before Burns ended up becoming the third victim of Kapp. Tash Farrant claimed a stunning catch, making a full-length dive to get her hand underneath the ball. That changed the complexion of the game.
Farrant (4-10) then removed Jones (35). The Phoenix now needed 49 in as many deliveries, with six wickets in hand, to reach the final. But the rest of the batters could not step up to the occasion.
The next six batters managed just 15 runs between them. In the end, they could only only manage 94. Farrant wrapped them up by dismissing Gordon to hand her team a 20-run victory.
Brief scores: Oval Invincibles 114/7 in 100 balls (Marizanne Kapp 37; Kirstie Gordon 2-22) beat Birmingham Phoenix 94 in 94 balls (Amy Jones 35; Tash Farrant 4-10) by 20 runs. Player of the Match: Tash Farrant.