By Bilal Ahmed
London Spirit secure first win in Nottingham
The London Spirit Women secured their first victory of The Hundred season, defeating Trent Rockets by five wickets in a match held in Nottingham. This result marked the first defeat for the Rockets in the competition. The Spirit’s win was largely influenced by the performances of South African all-rounders Marizanne Kapp and Nadine de Klerk.
Kapp delivered a strong bowling performance, taking three wickets for 12 runs from 20 balls. Notably, she did not concede a run off the bat until her 11th delivery. During the Rockets’ innings, which concluded at 142-7, England off-spinner Charlie Dean also contributed with two wickets for 18 runs. The Rockets’ captain, Ash Gardner, was the top scorer for her side with 34 runs.
In their chase, the Spirit experienced a brief period of instability, falling from 55-0 to 67-4 after the departure of Grace Harris, who scored 37 runs off 20 balls. However, De Klerk, who remained unbeaten with 41 runs off 22 balls, alongside Marie Kelly, who added 39 runs, guided the team to victory. De Klerk sealed the win with a six off Georgia Adams over deep square leg, with three balls remaining in the match.
The Spirit’s victory in Nottingham allowed them to recover from an earlier defeat against Manchester Super Giants, where they were bowled out for 80 runs. Conversely, the Rockets were unable to build on their previous dominant performance, a nine-wicket win against Birmingham Phoenix, in which they restricted their opponents to just 64 runs.
Key performances and match details
During the Rockets’ innings, Sophia Dunkley was a highlight, scoring 23 runs off 15 balls, including three consecutive boundaries off Deandra Dottin. Dottin’s bowling figures for the match were 0-32 from 10 balls, as she was later targeted by Ash Gardner and Sophie Luff, who scored 24 runs off 19 balls.
Nadine de Klerk, despite being hit for three fours in a row by Gardner earlier in the game, ultimately played a decisive role with her batting. Her innings included two fours and three sixes, with a late maximum hit over the covers off a full toss from Gardner, which secured the win for her team.
In other women’s matches on the same day, the game between Super Giants and Phoenix at Emirates Old Trafford was affected by rain, leading to no play being possible for their scheduled 11am start.
Men’s fixture: Trent Rockets v London Spirit
The men’s fixture saw the Trent Rockets Men face the London Spirit Men at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The match began at 18:00 UK time. The toss was won by the Trent Rockets Men, who elected to field first.
The starting lineup for the Trent Rockets Men included Finn Allen, Ben Duckett, Tom Banton, Sam Billings (Captain and Wicket Keeper), Tim David, Mitch Santner, Lewis Gregory, Craig Overton, Calvin Harrison, Matt Henry, and Mohammad Amir.
For the London Spirit Men, the starting lineup featured Liam Livingstone (Captain), Lhuan-dré Pretorius, Jonny Bairstow (Wicket Keeper), Dewald Brevis, James Coles, James Rew, Jamie Overton, David Willey, Andrew Tye, Adam Milne, and Adam Zampa. The officials for this match included Paul Pollard, Rob White, Paul Baldwin, Simon Hinks, and Chris Watts.
Source: bbc.com
