Rockets beat Invincibles to keep slim hopes alive
- BBC News
Trent Rockets win over Oval Invincibles was just their second of the campaign so far
The Hundred womens competition, The Oval
Oval Invincibles 109-7 (100 balls): Lanning 45 (35); Gardner 2-10
Trent Rockets 113-4 (84 balls): Scrivens 34 (27); Capsey 1-16
Rockets won by six wickets
Trent Rockets kept their slim qualification hopes alive with a six-wicket win over Oval Invincibles in The Hundred womens competition.
Rockets made hard work of chasing just 110 at The Kia Oval after a flurry of middle-order wickets, but Heather Graham held her nerve with an unbeaten 19 from 11 balls and they reached their target with 16 balls to spare.
The visitors had a flying start from Bryony Smith and Grace Scrivens, who added 51 in 35 balls together, but the Invincibles fought back to remove Smith for 24 and claimed the huge wickets of Nat Sciver-Brunt for two and Ash Gardner for 11.
Scrivens then fell for 34 but Graham and Jodi Grewcock, with 21 not out, settled the Rockets nerves and sealed their first win against the Invincibles.
In contrast to the Rockets rapid start, Invincibles crawled to 13-1 from their powerplay, which included 16 dot balls, as captain Lauren Winfield-Hill fell for seven from 14.
Former Australia skipper Meg Lanning revived the innings as she kicked on to 45 from 35 balls, but Ash Gardner changed the course of the game as she dismissed Lanning and Marizanne Kapp in the space of three balls.
Paige Scholfield whacked the last ball for six to take Invincibles to 109-7 but her 16 not out was the second highest score of the innings as they failed to put partnerships together throughout.
Both Rockets and Invincibles, who are two-time winners, need to win all of their remaining games and still hope for other results to go their way.
Its a bottom of the table contest in the womens Hundred as Welsh Fire, who are already eliminated, take on Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston at 15:00 BST.
The mens game follows at 18:30 BST with Fire needing a win to keep their very slim qualification hopes alive while a victory for Phoenix, who are fifth, would boost their top-three chances.
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