Australia’s Ash Gardner and Grace Harris, among others, were central to their team’s fortunes in the latest matches of the UK’s Hundred tournament
Ash Gardner and Grace Harris have produced strong performances in The Hundred in the UK, but it was Harris’s London Spirit who earned the win over Gardner’s Trent Rockets.
It was Spirit Women’s first win of this year’s Hundred tournament, as they won by five wickets at Trent Bridge.
Spirit started well when Marizanne Kapp bowled Beth Mooney six balls in, but Sophia Dunkley and Sophie Luff’s 33-run partnership helped Rockets regain control.
Kapp then claimed the scalps of Dunkley (23) and Luff (24) before Georgia Adams was caught and bowled by Charlie Dean, but Gardner spearheaded Trent’s response.
The captain top-scored with 34 before her innings was ended by Dean and Bess Heath added a valuable unbeaten 31.
Harris stormed ahead in the chase for Spirit, smashing 37 from 20 balls until she was caught by Luff off Gardner (2-24) and Rockets soon struck with three quick wickets as Amy Jones (21), Kapp (2) and Sterre Kalis (0) all fell.
However, Marie Kelly (39) and Nadine de Klerk (41no) pulled Spirit back into the contest to record their first win this season, chasing down the target of 142 with five wickets in hand.
In the men’s competition, Jos Buttler hit a superb 90 as Manchester Super Giants went on to close out a dominant 87-run win over Birmingham Phoenix at Old Trafford.
After a delayed start because of rain, which had earlier seen the morning’s women’s match abandoned, Phoenix won the toss and chose to field. The visitors made an early breakthrough when Ben Dwarshuis had Tim Seifert (one) caught behind with the sixth ball, which was his first delivery of the afternoon.
Aiden Markram (six) was caught and bowled by Rehan Ahmed off his opening delivery before Buttler then set about pushing the Super Giants on.
Heinrich Klaasen made a swift 20 and Leus du Plooy 13 before he was run out to leave the hosts at 4-113 through 69 balls.
England’s Buttler – who had brought up his half-century with a huge six over deep midwicket off the 51st delivery – eventually fell with three balls of the innings left when he was caught by Dwarshuis going for another big hit off Saqib Mahmood.
The Giants, who had beaten London Spirit at Lord’s on Thursday, finished at 6-187, with Tom Moores unbeaten on 39 from 17, having smashed five sixes.
Super Giants paceman Josh Tongue soon made an instant impact with the ball as he bowled opener Will Smeed (eight) and then Ahmed, out for a golden duck, in successive deliveries to leave Phoenix 2-20 off 18.
Despite captain Donovan Ferreira showing some resistance with his swift 23, Birmingham stumbled on to 100 all out from 97 balls, with Dawson having taken three wickets. Scott Currie finished 14 not out.
Also on Sunday, Trent Rockets Men earned their first Hundred win with a four-wicket victory over London Spirit after Ben Duckett’s 75 off 47 saw the Trent Bridge side home by four wickets.
The Hundred 2026 women’s standings
Australians in the Hundred
(* denotes bought in auction)
Birmingham Phoenix
Men: Mitch Owen £130,000 (A$244,000)
Women: Ellyse Perry £100,000 (A$187,436), Alana King* £37,500 (A$70,000), Lucy Hamilton withdrawn
London Spirit
Men: Adam Zampa £190,000 (A$357,000), Andrew Tye
Women: Grace Harris £70,000 (A$131,000)
Manchester Super Giants
Women: Meg Lanning £95,000 (A$178,000), Maitlan Brown* £40,000 (A$75,000)
MI London
Women: Nicola Carey* £95,000 (A$178,000)
Southern Brave
Men: Marcus Stoinis £150,000 (A$282,000), Nikhil Chaudhary* £31,000 (A$58,000)
Women: Sophie Molineux* £47,500 (A$89,000), Lizelle Lee £27,500 (A$53,000)
Sunrisers Leeds
Men: Mitch Marsh £200,000 (A$376,000), Nathan Ellis £145,000 (A$278,000)
Women: Annabel Sutherland £130,000 (A$244,000), Phoebe Litchfield £120,000 (A$225,000), Jess Jonassen* £110,000 (A$206,000)
Trent Rockets
Men: Tim David £350,000 (A$658,000)
Women: Beth Mooney* £210,000 ($A394,000), Ashleigh Gardner £100,000 (A$187,000), Kim Garth £42,000 (A$79,000), Sam Bates £15,000 (A$29,000)
Welsh Fire
Men: Matt Short* £75,000 (A$140,978)
Women: Georgia Wareham £100,000 (A$187,000), Georgia Voll £80,000 (A$150,000), Heather Graham* £27,500 (A$52,000)
