In match number 11, the Northern Superchargers, led by skipper Hollie Armitage, were up against the Southern Brave, led by skipper Georgia Adams, at the Rose Bowl, Southampton, in the first game of the double header on Wednesday. Both sides were coming off comfortable victories — an 8-wicket win for the Superchargers against Trent Rockets, and a 15-run win for the Brave against Birmingham — in their respective previous encounters and were riding high on confidence. The Northern Superchargers made one change as Katherine Fraser replaced Georgia Wareham in the starting XI. The Brave retained the same side that took the field in their previous encounter.
On Tuesday, the Invincibles registered their first win of the ongoing 5th edition of the tournament by defeating Birmingham Phoenix by 22 runs in Birmingham in the 10th match of the season.
Devine and Spinners Blow Away Superchargers Batting
The visiting Superchargers batters struggled to adjust to the slowish wicket after skipper Hollie Armitage won the toss and opted to bat first, a decision that eventually seemed to backfire as none of their batters had a comfortable and confident stay at the crease apart from the skipper Hollie Armitage (36* off 28 balls) herself. She stayed unbeaten and guided her side over the 100-run mark (102) before they were bundled out on the final ball of the innings, courtesy of a run-out.
Annabel Sutherland (20 off 20 balls) and Davina Perrin (13 off 15 balls) chipped in with vital contributions for the Northern Superchargers. Sophie Devine (20-11-15-3) was the standout performer with the ball for Southern Brave, while skipper Georgia Adams (20-9-20-2), Tilly Corteen-Coleman (20-8-17-1), Mady Villiers (10-5-9-1), and Lauren Bell (20-6-25-1) also played key roles with the ball.
Top Order Guides Southern Brave to Comfortable Win
Chasing a total of 103, Maia Bouchier (5 off 15 balls) continued her poor form with the bat, as she was dismissed by Kate Cross inside the powerplay to provide the first breakthrough for the Northern Superchargers. Danielle Wyatt-Hodge also became only the second player after Nat Sciver-Brunt from the Trent Rockets to surpass the 1,000 runs landmark in the Women’s Hundred.
Laura Wolvaardt joined Danielle Wyatt-Hodge at the crease, and the duo settled the nerves with a massive game-defining 62-run partnership for the second wicket. Katherine Fraser picked up the wicket of Danielle Wyatt-Hodge (43 off 31 balls) to provide the much-needed second breakthrough for her side.
The home side eventually cruised over the line with 8 wickets in hand and 17 balls to spare, courtesy of an unbeaten 20-run partnership for the third wicket between Laura Wolvaardt (33* off 29 balls) and Sophie Devine (15* off 8 balls). Kate Cross (20-4-25-1) and Katherine Fraser (10-4-11-1) were the only wicket-takers for the Northern Superchargers.
Player of the Match – Sophie Devine
Sophie Devine was awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational all-round performance, returning with brilliant figures of 20-11-15-3 with the ball and contributing a cameo of 15* off 8 balls with the bat. Her all-round contributions played a crucial role as the Southern Brave clinched a hat-trick of victories to start their campaign on a high.
I am Yash Tailor, and I believe work should be driven by passion. Therefore, after completing my Engineering, I chose to work in the Cricket industry, my passion. My goal is to reach a stage where I truly enjoy what I do and give my best to every task with energy and purpose.