The Trent Rockets have officially booked their place in the knockout stages of The Hundred following a comprehensive nine-wicket victory against MI London at the Oval on Saturday. This result marks the team's fifth consecutive win, further solidifying their place at the top of the points table. Samantha Bates led the bowling effort, returning 3 for 13 to restrict MI London to 121 for 5, a total the Rockets surpassed with 18 balls remaining.
Put in to bat, MI London openers Hayley Matthews and Kira Chathli struggled to find early momentum during their 28-run stand. Bates eventually trapped Matthews leg-before for a run-a-ball 10. As dot balls piled up and wickets tumbled at regular intervals, the hosts were kept in check at 49 for 4 by the mid-way point of the innings. Even with Amelia Kerr in the middle, she could not press the accelerator in the company of Alice Monaghan. It was a late attack from Chinelle Henry, featuring four boundaries, that helped MI London move past the run-a-ball mark.
In the chase, the table-toppers remained composed despite Sophia Dunkley being cleaned up for a duck. Beth Mooney and Nat Sciver-Brunt utilized a wide range of strokes to attack different parts of the ground, maintaining a steady pace. Shortly after reaching her half-century, Sciver-Brunt hit Tara Norris for a six over backward square leg. The pair slowed down slightly as victory neared, with Mooney eventually ending the contest with a boundary through sweeper cover. Brief Scores: MI London 121/5 in 100 balls (Kira Chathli 31; Samantha Bates 3-13, Charlie Phillips 1-24) lost to Trent Rockets 125/1 in 82 balls (Nat Sciver-Brunt 67*, Beth Mooney 54*) by 9 wickets.
In other action at the Rose Bowl, the Manchester Super Giants secured a 27-run win over the Southern Brave, strengthening their own qualification chances. Electing to bat, the Super Giants were led by the Indian duo of Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh, who smashed 83 runs for the second wicket off 57 balls to lay a platform after Grace Scrivens was kept in check early by Sophie Molineux, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, and Issy Wong. Following Scrivens' dismissal, Mandhana maintained the pace while Ghosh provided a burst of power, smoking three sixes in her 34-ball 54. Wong returned to dismiss both batters in quick succession, preventing a late surge. In response, Maia Bouchier hit three boundaries before being run out for 16. Laura Wolvaardt provided a steady hand, but other Brave batters could not break free. Kathryn Bryce and Mady Villiers, who returned 3 for 17, slowed the scoring through the middle overs, while Sophie Ecclestone and Ryana Macdonald-Gay conceded only 18 runs off the final 20 balls to seal the win. Brief Scores: Manchester Super Giants 139/4 in 100 balls (Richa Ghosh 54, Smriti Mandhana 46; Issy Wong 2-24, Sophie Molineux 1-21) beat Southern Brave 112/6 in 100 balls (Laura Wolvaardt 36; Mady Villiers 3-17, Kathryn Bryce 1-18) by 27 runs.
