Scotland’s Sarah Bryce and Singapore’s Tim David got their hands on franchise silverware, as their teams – Oval Invincibles and Southern Brave – won the Women’s and Men’s Hundred tournaments respectively.
Women’s Tournament
Sterre Kalis got her first taste of franchise cricket for Northern Superchargers against Manchester Originals. Kalis made 19 off 21 before being run out as Superchargers posted 126/5. It was not enough to hold of the Manchester side as Superchargers slipped to defeat and elimination from the competition.
The trio of Abtaha Maqsood, Kathryn and Sarah Bryce continued to fly the flag for Scotland in the final quarter of the tournament. Maqsood went up against her national-team captain Kathryn Bryce as Birmingham Phoenix took on Trent Rockets. Bowling first, Maqsood bowled her 20-ball allocation for 28 runs. Bryce made a run-a-ball 6* and took 1/13 with the ball. However, it was Maqsood’s Phoenix who were victorious by three wickets.
Kathryn Bryce would manage another 2* in Rocket’s final group game but went wicketless with the ball as Originals cruised to a 9-wicket win. Defeat in their final game meant Rockets were eliminated from the competition.
Scotland ‘keeper Sarah Bryce had a tough week playing for Oval Invincibles. She had a quite day in Invincibles’ 8-wicket win over London Spirit, taking no dismissals behind the stumps and not needed with the bat. In the final group game against Southern Brave, Bryce again took no dismissals, but was also out for a second ball duck. Invincibles suffered a heavy 30-run defeat, but had already qualified for the playoffs.
Maqsood’s Phoenix would join the Invincibles in the playoffs, following their 13-run win over Northern Superchargers. Maqsood snared a key wicket of Laura Wolvaardt in her 1/21, as Phoenix defended 145 successfully.
Phoenix met Invincibles in Friday’s eliminator, with Bryce’s Invincibles coming out on top. Invincibles made a seemingly under-par 114/7 batting first. Though Bryce went out to bat, she did not face ball. Maqsood did not take a wicket, conceding 18 off 15 balls.
Phoenix got off to a poor start with the bat, with Bryce claiming catches off both openers off Marizanne Kapp’s bowling. Bryce would add one more catch to her tally off Gwenan Davies, as Phoenix slipped to 94 all out.
Marching into Saturday’s final against Southern Brave, Invincibles again set a low total, 121/6. Bryce again claimed key wickets behind the stumps, first taking a catch to dismiss Danni Wyatt, before stumping Stefanie Taylor. Brave were 73 all out, with Invincibles winning by 48 runs to become the first Hundred champions. Bryce ended with a total of 12 dismissals across the tournament.
Men’s Tournament
Dutch all-rounder Colin Ackermann continued in his role for Manchester Originals, but had a tough week. Against Northern Superchargers, Ackermann was arguably pick of the bowlers, taking 1/17 off 20 balls, whilst the Superchargers’ batters picked up 183 from the other 80 in a score of 200/5. Ackermann could only make 7 off 10 balls as Originals fell 69 runs short.
Ackermann’s compatriot, Fred Klaassen, returned for Originals final game against Trent Rockets. Ackermann was dismissed by a Rashid Khan googly for a duck, whilst Klaassen made 6* off 4 in Original’s 135/8. The target was under par, and by the time Klaassen removed Dawid Malan for 52, the damage was done, and Rockets went on to win by 7 wickets.
Dutchman Roelof van der Merwe and Scotsman Brad Wheal continued to prop up London Spirit’s faltering campaign. In their derby match against Oval Invincibles, van der Merwe blitzed 20* off 10 balls at the death to raise Spirit to a respectable 146/7. The two associates then combined with the ball to reduce Invincibles to 14/3. Van der Merwe (2/35) claimed the wickets of Jason Roy and Sunil Narine before Wheal dismissed Colin Ingram. Wheal (2/23) would later bowl Tom Curran, but it would prove too little as Invincibles won with 5 balls to spare.
A similar picture emerged in their final game against Welsh Fire. Van der Merwe picked up two from the last ball of the innings in Spirit’s 163/5. Wheal would then pick up three key wickets, Ben Duckett, the explosive Glenn Phillips and then Matt Critchley. However, left to defend 7 off the final 5 balls, Wheal was unable to seal victory for Spirit, who finished last in the tournament.
Tim David was a late call up for Southern Brave, replacing the injured Colin de Grandhomme just before the start of the playoffs. However, he did not have an opportunity to make an impact in the eliminator against Trent Rockets.
The Singapore international did play a key role in the final. David smoked two sixes in his 15 runs against Birmingham Phoenix’s bowling attack. But his key moment was to come in the field. After taking a good catch earlier in proceedings, his direct hit from the cover boundary to run out Liam Livingstone, returning for a 2nd run, proved a turning point. The run out was a hammer blow to Phoenix’s run chase, who fell 32 runs short of the Brave’s 168.
Southern Brave were crowned inaugural men’s champions of The Hundred. Tim David lifted the trophy alongside Bermuda’s Delray Rawlins, who had not featured for Brave since their opening game.
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