Marizanne Kapp continued her fine form in The Hundred with 3 for 8 and an unbeaten 26 as Invincibles secured second spot in the table and kept hopes of a third title in four years very much alive
Trent Bridge: Trent Rockets 91-8, Oval Invincibles 92-5 - Oval Invincibles won by five wickets
Oval Invincibles came out on top by five wickets in a tense match on a slow, low wicket at Trent Bridge to earn the right to face London Spirit in The Hundred Eliminator at the Kia Oval.
South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp starred with both ball and bat, taking 3 for 8 and scoring an unbeaten 26 to guide the Invincibles home.
Chasing 92 to win, Oval Invincibles started the chase positively, Sri Lankan star Chamari Athapaththu striking three early boundaries before falling caught at long-off to the off-spin of Ashleigh Gardner for 16.
Captain Lauren Winfield-Hill went lbw to Heather Graham to see the Invincibles 33 for 2 and they were in trouble a ball later when Alana King bowled Alice Capsey with a beautiful leg-break.
At halfway, the Invincibles were 45 for 3, Paige Scholfield looking industrious against the turning ball with her side still requiring 47.
Ashleigh Gardner struck a fine 43 before being removed by Mady Villiers (ECB/Getty)
With the rate required hovering nervously around a run a ball, Kapp launched a counter-attack, striking Graham for two boundaries to relieve some pressure before Scholfield hit back-to-back fours off Nat Sciver-Brunt to take the equation to 22 required from 30.
Scholfield fell for 26 with eight still required, and Mady Villiers (1) went with seven needed, but Kapp remained cool to see the London side home with six balls to spare.
Kapp's skill bookmarked the match. She bowled the first 10 balls of the innings at the top of the day and was well rewarded, striking twice to remove Grace Scrivens for a duck and then having Bryony Smith (1) spectacularly caught by a flying Villiers from the eighth.
Rockets then found themselves in even more trouble at 3 for 3 after 13 balls when a back-of-a-length delivery from Rachel Slater kept low and claimed the big wicket of Sciver-Brunt, also for a duck.
Ashleigh Gardner's 43 kept them in the game, but after her dismissal, their innings fizzled out to end 91 for 8 – a total that Kapp was able to overhaul to ensure passage to the last three for Oval Invincibles.
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