The Hundred 2024: Two-time champions Oval Invincibles open women's competition with convincing win

Birmingham Phoenix are beaten convincingly at the Kia Oval after half-centuries from Paiga Scholfield and Alice Capsey

ECB Media | 23/07/2024 at 17:40

Kia Oval: Oval Invincibles 150-5, Birmingham Phoenix 105 - Oval Invincibles won by 45 runs

A sparkling 71 from Paige Scholfield took Oval Invincibles to a domineering 45-run victory against Birmingham Phoenix in the first game of the fourth year of The Hundred.

In front of 10,249 fans, the two-time champions Invincibles batted first and the 28-year-old Scholfield – enjoying a new role at the top of the order in the absence of Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu – found admirable company in England's Alice Capsey, who herself made 52.

The pair put on 90 for the second wicket – sharing 17 boundaries – and looked at times to be threatening a record score in The Hundred women's competition before a flurry of late wickets pegged back their progress.

Nevertheless, defending 150, the odds were in the home team's favour at the interval and when Phoenix lost three wickets with their score on 32, their fate was effectively secured.

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^{Sophia Smale completes an outstanding caught and bowled to dismiss Sophie Devine (ECB/Getty Images)}

New Zealand captain Sophie Devine and Birmingham local Amy Jones put up an element of resistance for the visitors, but Invincibles' bowling attack – and in particular Australian leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington (3 for 9) – proved too strong and got the home team off to the perfect start with a 45-run win.

Player of the match Paige Scholfield said: "I'm absolutely buzzing. It's the first time I've opened so I was a bit nervous but I had Lozzy [Lauren Winfield-Hill] there helping me through those first 10 balls and I got a nice feel for the pitch. I haven't done a lot of opening, I usually come in at the end and try and hit as many boundaries as I can in as few balls as possible! But I enjoyed it.

"I feel like there was a bit of tennis ball bounce in the pitch so you had to either move well back or forward, so I trusted my shots and I played them. We bat down to No.11 so I trusted myself and I went for it – and I've always got them in the dug-out if it doesn't go quite as well. Chamari can have it [the opening role when she returns from the Asia Cup], I'm going to do what Head Coach Jon Batty tells me to do!"