James Vince and Craig Overton ease Southern Brave to opening win

London Spirit had Liam Dawson to thank for scrambling their way to 138-9 - but it was a total which proved easy work for the home side, the inaugural champions from 2021

ECB Media | 24/07/2024 at 22:00

Utilita Bowl: London Spirit 138-9, Southern Brave 139-3 - Southern Brave won by seven wickets

A superb display from Southern Brave's lethal seamers and a ruthless run-chase orchestrated by James Vince ensured the men's competition's inaugural winners prevailed against London Spirit at Utilita Bowl.

Invited to field first, Brave's attack dominated the opening stages, with left-arm spinner James Coles inducing a miscued lofted drive from Adam Rossington for the first wicket.

Craig Overton took the catch and Overton then took centre stage, picking up the next three wickets – all to outfield catches – to rip through the Spirit's middle order.

England superstar Jofra Archer touched 90mph in his first appearance in The Hundred – a spell that went for just nine runs – while Tymal Mills and Chris Jordan provided ferocious back-up.

When the Guyanese overseas star Shimron Hetymer skewed Mills to backward point, the Spirit were tottering on 49 for 5 from 48 balls.

Thereafter Andre Russell joined Spirit skipper Dan Lawrence, signalling his intentions by clubbing his first delivery to the fence. After launching a short ball from Archer for the first six of the match, Russell then handed Archer his first wicket, Russell's upper cut picking out Overton at deep third.

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Jofra Archer made his belated arrival in The Hundred debut - but was upstaged by Craig Overton with the ball^{(ECB/ECB via Getty Images)}

Jordan burst through to trap Lawrence for an enterprising 38 (30), leaving Liam Dawson to offer spirited lone resistance at the death. Dominating the latter stages, Dawson took 14 runs from the final three deliveries, his unbeaten 45 (19) giving the Spirit impetus going into the run-chase.

Any optimism was short-lived. Vince stroked four boundaries in his first five balls to set Brave on their way and in partnership with the left-hander Daniel Hughes, the pair put on 95 for the first wicket.

Hughes nicked Ravi Bopara to Rossington behind the stumps for 45 (31) but Vince went to his fifth half-century in the competition's history and despite Vince lofting a catch to long-off with the score on 117, the final 22 runs were negotiated with little undue fuss. Needing 139 to win, the Brave eased home with 11 balls to spare.