The Hundred 2024: Southern Brave claim rain-affected win over Oval Invincibles

In the battle between the two sides to win the women's competition it took the poise of Danni Wyatt to get the defending champions over the line

ECB Media | 08/08/2024 at 19:56

Kia Oval: Oval Invincibles 79-4, Southern Brave 85-3 - Southern Brave won by seven wickets

England star Danni Wyatt led Southern Brave to a breakthrough win and moved top of the women's runscorers list in a seven-wicket rain-affected win against Oval Invincibles.

Wyatt hit an unbeaten 46 from 37 balls, after twice being dropped, to guide the defending champions to a belated first win of this year's competition with one ball to spare.

Lauren Cheatle and Tilly Corteen-Coleman, two weeks shy of her 17th birthday, claimed two wickets apiece as the hosts were restricted to 79 for four.

Marizanne Kapp struck an unbeaten 26 from 17 balls for the hosts whose innings was delayed for over an hour by rain.

A revised target of 83 was therefore set and Invincibles had their chances to claim the key wicket of Wyatt, who was dropped on four and 14.

Smriti Mandhana was run out cheaply and Maia Bouchier was bowled by the impressive Ryana MacDonald-Gay, who claimed 1 for 7 from a maximum 15 balls.

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^{Tilly Corteen-Coleman took two wickets as Brave restricted Invincibles batting first (ECB via Getty Images)}

Wyatt went passed Nat Sciver-Brunt's 209 runs to become the leading runscorer in this year's women's competition before Sophia Smale claimed Freya Kemp (3).

The 19-year-old left-armer spinner was then tasked with bowling the final five and initially held her never to restrict Wyatt to a dot and a single before a smart stop kept Chloe Tryon to a one. But Wyatt's experience told as she made room to shovel her over leg for the winning boundary.

Cheatle earlier removed Chamari Athapaththu for a duck from the third ball, edging behind, and then had Alice Capsey caught in the deep after the England young gun had slapped her for six.

Rain stopped the game for over an hour with the home side 38 for 2 after 35 balls as the game was reduced to 65 balls.

Corteen-Coleman had Invincibles skipper Lauren Winfield-Hill caught and the in-form Paige Scholfield caught in the deep from successive balls before Kapp added late firepower.