With two balls remaining in the controlled chase, Welsh Fire defeated Trent Rockets, who have now lost three straight, to make it three victories out of four in the Hundred. Sarah Bryce hits 51 not out to keep Welsh Fire burning.
Rockets captain Nat Sciver-Brunt chose to bat, but they lost both openers to the first ball: Grace Scrivens chopped against Beth Langston, while Bryony Smith played on against the formidable Freya Davies.
After Natalie Wrath struck a 24-ball 28, the Rockets’ strong and consistent middle order of Ash Gardner and Sciver-Brunt helped to somewhat undo the damage. After the 25-ball Powerplay, they were 33 for 2, and at the midway point, they were 60 for 3.
However, Sciver-Brunt was overmatched by Welsh Fire when he misjudged Jess Jonassen and was outwitted for a well-deserved 37 from 26. Although Gardner and Heather Graham were able to exert some pressure, a score of 130 felt low given that all of the Fire bowlers were difficult to get away from, Davies was outstanding up top, and Australian Jonassen claimed two wickets with her consistently precise left-arm spin.
In addition, Fire lost two wickets early on: Tammy Beaumont was leg before wicket by England teammate Sciver-Brunt, and Sophia Dunkley was beautifully caught by Kirstie Gordon, causing some nervousness among the bench.
However, Scottish keeper Sarah Bryce and West Indian sensation Hayley Matthews recovered, pushing the total to 49 from 33 balls before Sciver-Brunt used her leg-before-the-wicket technique once more to remove the dangerous Matthews.
After that, Jonassen and Bryce added 38 runs to keep the needed run-rate under control. After Jonassen was out, Georgia Elwiss took over, adding 44 more runs with the outstanding Bryce, who finished with an undefeated 51 from 39 balls.
“We knew if we just built partnerships together, there were runs out there, with big pockets where you could run hard, and I think we did that really well,” Bryce stated. “Jess runs really well. We have had some close games where various players have stepped up at different moments, and I believe as a team it is incredibly exciting. They say that winning is a habit.”
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