Capsey stars as Invincibles beat Fire

Alice Capsey batting for Oval InvinciblesImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Alice Capsey hit seven fours in her 48-ball innings.

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The Hundred women's competition, Sophia Gardens

Welsh Fire 116-5 (100 balls): Dunkley 35 (26); MacDonald-Gay 2-20

Oval Invincibles 118-4 (88 balls): Capsey 59 (48); Davis 3-33

Oval Invincibles won by six wickets

Scorecard. Table

Alice Capsey hit a half century as Oval Invincibles beat Welsh Fire by six wickets in The Hundred women's competition at Sophia Gardens.

The 19-year-old England batter passed 50 for a second successive match as Invincibles comfortably chased down a target of 117.

Having decided to bat, Fire lost captain Tammy Beaumont and Hayley Matthews early on, but Sophia Dunkley (35) combined with Sarah Bryce to reach 54-2 at halfway.

Dunkley fell to Amanda-Jade Wellington, while Ryana MacDonald-Gay accounted for Bryce and Georgia Elwiss as Fire finished on 116-5.

Invincibles lost captain Lauren Winfield-Hill within two balls of their reply, caught by opposite number Beaumont, bringing Capsey to the crease.

She steadily accumulated runs, survived being given out lbw to Jess Jonassen after replays showed a feather edge off the bat, and reached her 50 from 42 balls.

Only a spectacular catch from Matthews removed Capsey, with the West Indian all-rounder managing to avoid the boundary rope grabbing a drive that looked set to be six.

Laura Harris was then dismissed within two balls, but South African Marizanne Kapp took charge, hitting consecutive fours off Jonassen to close out the win with 12 balls to spare.

Media caption,

An 'incredible' catch & blistering bowling - The Hundred plays of the day

What else do you need to know?

  • Capsey hit 52 from 40 balls against Birmingham Phoenix in the opening match of the competition and now has 111 runs from two matches.

  • Seamer Shabnim Ismail only managed to bowl 10 balls for the home side before limping off the field. The South African star was the joint second-highest wicket taker in last year's competition with 11 scalps.

  • The performance of spinner Georgia Davis will offer a crumb of comfort for Fire. The 25-year-old had Paige Scholfield caught by the sub fielder before returning to remove Capsey and Harris within the space of three balls.

'A massive win' - what they said

Invincibles batter Alice Capsey: "They were bowling really well, it was for me and Kappy to build a partnership and we knew the longer we stayed in the easier it would get.

"I think the key is I've had a few breaks, I've prioritised what gets the best out of me. I've been playing a few more games in the nets, going away from conventional training and making it a bit more fun."

Invincibles captain Lauren Winfield-Hill: "I think that was a massive win. That was the only team we haven't beaten. It was a really good test of where we're at.

"I do a lot of homework with the analysts and coaches. It's a starting point, I like to be fluid. If you win the powerplay, that has a big impact."

What is happening on Monday?

It's back to Old Trafford for another double-header on Monday, with Manchester Originals facing Trent Rockets (women's at 15:00 BST and men's at 18:35 BST).

The home side lost their opening game to Welsh Fire, but the Rockets comfortably beat Northern Superchargers in their first fixture.

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