In a night that will be remembered as one of the most electrifying in women’s franchise cricket, 18-year-old Davina Perrin of the Northern Superchargers carved her name into history with a record-breaking century against the London Spirit in the Eliminator at Kennington Oval, London.
Becoming only the second player after Tammy Beaumont (Welsh Fire) to register a century in the Women’s Hundred, Perrin’s innings was more than just monumental; it was record-shattering. She is now the youngest ever to hit a hundred in the competition and, remarkably, achieved it in just 42 deliveries, making it the fastest century in Women’s Hundred history and the second-fastest overall across both the men’s and women’s tournaments.
The stakes were massive. A place in the final was on the line as Northern Superchargers’ skipper Hollie Armitage saw her side put into bat by London Spirit captain Charlie Dean. Few could have anticipated the fireworks that would follow. Opening the innings alongside Alice Davidson-Richards, Perrin immediately stamped her authority, timing the ball sweetly and taking full advantage of the field restrictions.
The pair stitched together a commanding 105-run opening stand, with Davidson-Richards unselfishly rotating strike before falling to a run-out on the 49th ball. By then, however, Perrin had already taken flight, racing past milestones at warp speed and showcasing a blend of orthodox stroke-play mixed with audacious hitting.
Perrin’s final figures read a jaw-dropping 101 off 43 balls, at a strike rate of 234.88, peppered with 15 boundaries and 5 towering sixes. It is also the fastest T20 century by an English woman. The audacity of the innings lay not just in its pace but in its maturity. On a night when batters around her played cameos, it was Perrin who anchored and accelerated in equal measure. Her innings acted as the bedrock for the Superchargers’ march to a record-highest total in Women’s Hundred history: 214/5 in 100 deliveries, a statement total in a knockout clash.
While this century will be rightly celebrated as an epoch-making knock, Perrin’s story this season speaks of consistency as well as impact. She is currently the second-highest run-scorer for the Superchargers and the fourth-highest overall in the tournament, with 243 runs in 9 innings at an average of 30.37 and a strike rate of 139.65. Her returns include not just her historic century but also a valuable half-century that underpinned another vital knock in what seems to be a breakthrough season for her.
Expanding across her overall Women’s Hundred career, Perrin has already amassed 276 runs in 13 innings, averaging 23 at a strike rate of 130.80, with one century and one half-century, both of them coming in the ongoing edition. For a batter not yet out of her teens, these numbers reflect a career only just scratching the surface of its potential.
What stood out most was not just Perrin’s power-hitting or composure, but the fearlessness with which she approached a season-defining contest. The Oval lit up as she took seasoned international bowlers apart, proving that her age belies her temperament. For a generation of young fans watching, especially aspiring women cricketers, Perrin has already become a beacon of promise.
Her feat marks more than just an individual milestone; it symbolises a shift in the narrative of the Women’s Hundred. Where Tammy Beaumont once set the benchmark with her trailblazing century, it is now Perrin, the teenage prodigy, who has redrawn the boundaries of what is possible at the top level.
With the Superchargers surging towards a berth in the grand finale of the ongoing 5th edition. The focus now shifts to whether the youngster can carry her form and rhythm. If they progress to the grand finale, defending a record total, it is yet to be seen. For the opposition, the challenge is clear: find a way to contain the player who has already rewritten the record books.
Regardless of the outcome of the contest and eventually the tournament, Davina Perrin’s historic night at the Oval has cemented her status as one of the brightest young stars in women’s cricket, and perhaps the defining breakout talent of this Hundred season.
