THE HUNDRED, 2025
Lauren Bell picked up 3/28 © Getty
Southern Brave made a winning start to their Women’s Hundred campaign with a six-wicket win over Manchester Originals at Old Trafford. Lauren Bell, named Player of the Match, and Mady Villiers shared five wickets between them to restrict Originals to 95/8, before an unbeaten 42 from Laura Wolvaardt helped chase the target with 11 balls to spare.
Opting to bowl first, Bell got Brave off to a good start by clean-bowling Kathryn Bryce off the third ball of the innings. Villiers struck in her first over, removing captain Beth Mooney with her second delivery, the 12th ball of the innings, as Mooney cut straight to Danni Wyatt-Hodge at point. Thirteen balls later, Bell claimed her second big scalp as Amelia Kerr attempted a paddle and lifted the ball straight to Chloe Tryon at short fine leg.
At 23/3 at the end of the powerplay, Originals were tottering and the score soon became 32/4 when Tilly Corteen-Coleman found a way through Deandra Dottin’s sweep shot. That’s when Seren Smale came out to bat and held one end with an unbeaten 40 off 34 balls, including four boundaries even as wickets continued to tumble at the other.
Bell returned to pick up the wicket of Fritha Morris, caught and bowled, and finished with 3 for 28. It was Smale’s 29-run stand with Danielle Gregory for the ninth wicket, the highest of the innings, that took the side close to the 100-run mark. But it was a disappointing performance from Originals as only two batters reached double digits.
In the run chase, Brave lost Maia Bouchier early, with Dottin picking up the wicket. But then Danielle Wyatt-Hodge (32) and Wolvaardt added 48 off 31 balls before Wyatt-Hodge lost her stumps to Sophie Ecclestone. Eight balls later, Sophie Devine also made her way back to the pavilion while Amelia Kerr had Freya Kemp caught at mid-off soon after.
Wolvaardt, who spent the previous two seasons with Originals, kept ticking the runs off at the other end and hit six boundaries in her composed knock as Brave registered a comfortable win.
Brief Score: Manchester Originals 95/8 (Smale 40*; Bell 3-28) lost to Southern Brave 96/4 in 89 balls (Wolvaardt 42*, Wyatt-Hodge 32; Gregory 1-11) by 6 wickets
© Cricbuzz
