Grace Harris helps London Spirit continue their winning start as Welsh Fire make a huge mess of 122-run chase.
Grace Harris holds her nerve at the death as Fire make mess of run chase.
To secure a thrilling final-ball match against Welsh Fire in the Hundred and keep their perfect record at the beginning of this year’s season, London Spirit pulled victory from the jaws of defeat in Cardiff.
Spirit was facing defeat after being bowled out for 124, with Welsh Fire on 73 for 1 in reply. However, the home team faltered as the finish line drew near and ultimately lost.
The outcome appeared to be a formality with eight wickets remaining and only 24 runs needed from the final 20 balls, but Sophia Dunkley and Jess Jonassen were dismissed as Spirit slowly regained the lead, and Grace Harris remained composed with the ball in hand to defend seven runs from the final five balls.
Charli Knott’s 47 was largely responsible for the visitors’ continued presence in the game at the midway point, even though they had been bowled out.
With wickets falling in clumps, Knott’s effort—for which she was named Meerkat Match Hero—knitted together an odd innings. Legspinner Katie Levick scored stats of 3 for 26 after taking two out of two.
Although Welsh Fire appeared to be the favourites for a large portion of the match, with Hayley Matthews and Dunkley looking elegant as usual, Levick and her fellow bowlers would have felt they may have done enough, but they were unable to cross the finish line.
For Charlie Dean’s reigning champs, it’s first place and two from two, but it’s a second straight loss for Tammy Beaumont’s team.
Match Hero Knott said: “I was definitely a little bit nervous out on the boundary there at the end. I think we knew we were in the game, Gracie pulled off a great over, and we’re very excited to get the win there.
“It was a little bit tough when I started my innings. I tried to just get into my innings and hit the sweepers hard, and then I was able to cash in a little bit at the end. I think the wicket just held up a little bit, and we got caught out playing across the line a little bit so the gameplan was to hit the sweepers hard and it paid off for me in the end.”