By Huzaifa Yousafzai from the Kia Oval
The Oval Invincibles Women breezed past the Birmingham Phoenix Women with a 45 run victory as Ellyse Perry’s return to the Hundred ended in defeat.
Paige Scholfield’s 71 from 40 balls alongside Alice Capsey’s 52 set up a 150 run total in the first innings before Amanda Jade-Wellington’s 3 for 9 closed out the game when Phoenix came out to bat.
The Birmingham Phoenix remain winless in their last 13 games, with their last victory coming way back in the 2022 season against the Trent Rockets.
Birmingham Phoenix won the toss and chose to field first with their Australian captain Elysse Perry returning to the Hundred having missed the previous campaign with a knee injury.
Just 11 balls into the contest, play was stopped for over 10 minutes as the ground staff were working hard to cover up a divot on the square.
Katie Levick claimed the first wicket for the visitors as she slid one past the inside edge of the advancing Lauren Winfield-Hill to dismiss the Invincibles captain for just twelve runs.
Paige Scholfield hit back to back boundaries off the bowling of Emily Arlott as the home side reached their fifty run mark just a third of the way into their innings.
Scholfield then hit four boundaries in a row off Devine to reach her half century in just 28 balls but was eventually dismissed for 71, caught at long on from the bowling of Hannah Baker.
Marizanne Kapp was the next to fall following an excellent catch by Pavely at cover as Arlott claimed her first wicket of the game.
This became two in two balls when Grace Harris struck her first ball straight in the air as Bates pedalled back at mid-off to complete a very good catch and send the Australian back to the dugouts.
Alice Capsey reached her fifty with a lofted chip over mid off but was run out for 52 returning for a second with just four balls left in the innings before a pair of byes to the keeper led the Invincibles to finish their innings on 150.
Marizanne Kapp opened the bowling for the home side and immediately induced the edge from Suzie Bates, but the ball landed just short of slip. Bates was then dismissed by Kapp soon after when she charged down the wicket only to see her stumps rattled.
New batter Perry was run out for a six ball duck when she pushed one to Alice Capsey at cover but was swiftly sent back and ended up comfortably short of her ground in the end.
Ryana MacDonald-Gay was introduced on the thirty ball mark and had an immediate impact as her first delivery seamed inwards and knocked back Kalis’ middle stump.
Devine then chipped one back to Sophia Smale who caught the ball one handed running back over her head as the Pheonix were left still needing 87 runs to win from just 50 balls.
It went from bad to worse for the visitors, as an Amanda Jade-Wellington double strike removed Amy Jones and Seren Smale in the space of just three balls.
Mady Villiers and Jade-Wellington finished the job as Levick was the final wicket to fall when she was stumped to give the Invincibles a comfortable 45 run victory.
