Trent Rockets Suffer Third Consecutive Defeat After Lackluster Batting Display
Welsh Fire 131/4 (Bryce 51*) beat Trent Rockets 130/5 (Sciver-Brunt 37, Gardner 31) by six wickets
Welsh Fire secured their third victory in four matches by overcoming Trent Rockets, who have now suffered three consecutive defeats, in a controlled chase that went down to the final two balls.
Trent Rockets skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt won the toss and elected to bat, but her side immediately lost both openers on the first delivery. Bryony Smith was cleaned up by the impressive Freya Davies, while Grace Scrivens also chopped on to Beth Langston.
The Rockets’ experienced middle order of Sciver-Brunt and Ash Gardner worked to repair the early damage, with Natalie Wrath contributing a brisk 24-ball 28. However, the Rockets were restricted to 33/2 after the 25-ball Powerplay and 60/3 at the halfway stage.
“We knew if we just built partnerships together, there were runs out there, with big pockets where you could run hard, and I think we did that really well,” Bryce said. “Jess is a great runner. They say winning is a habit and we have had some tight games when different people have stood up at different times and I think as a team that is really exciting.”
When Sciver-Brunt was stumped for a well-crafted 37 off 26 balls, Welsh Fire gained the upper hand. Gardner and Heather Graham tried to accelerate the scoring, but Trent Rockets’ final total of 130/5 appeared to be below par, with all of the Fire bowlers proving difficult to get away.
Welsh Fire also lost two early wickets, with Sophia Dunkley brilliantly caught by Kirstie Gordon and Tammy Beaumont dismissed lbw by England teammate Sciver-Brunt. But West Indies star Hayley Matthews and Scottish keeper Sarah Bryce rebuilt the innings, taking the score to 49/2 in 33 balls before Sciver-Brunt struck again to remove the dangerous Matthews.
Jess Jonassen and Bryce then kept the required run-rate in check, adding 38 runs, and Georgia Elwiss provided the finishing touches, putting on a further 44 with the unbeaten Bryce, who scored 51 off 39 balls.
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