Glenn Moore | Yahoo Sports
Beth Mooney has masterminded a valuable victory for Manchester Originals in the Hundred Women, beating Welsh Fire in Cardiff by seven wickets.
The visitors eased to victory with 19 balls to spare, after an impressive display in the field restricted Fire to 9-73 off their 100 balls.
Mooney failed with the bat, making three, but showed her worth as skipper as she juggled her bowling resources.
The innovative move was to give teenager pacer Monika Gaur 20 of the first 25 balls, at the end of which Fire were 2-12.
This is possible in the Hundred’s format. Balls are bowled in sets of five, two sets at a time from each end, with bowlers able to deliver consecutive sets.
Nevertheless, it had not been done before in five seasons of the women’s competition.
Gaur began with ten balls, setting the tone as the English left-armer dismissed international colleagues Sophia Dunkey (2) and Tammy Beaumont (0).
The world’s No.1 spinner Sophie Ecclestone bowled the next five, conceding two runs, then Mooney brought Gaur back for ten more, five from each end, finishing with 2-10.
From then on Mooney rotated her bowlers, using seven in all, to keep Fire doused.
Ecclestone picked up 2-11 from her 20 balls, having Georgia Elwiss (11) stumped by Mooney and bowling West Indies’ Hayley Matthews (22).
English quick Lauren Filer claimed 3-8, including Australia’s Jess Jonassen (20 off 19), and Scot Kathryn Bryce took 2-7 in ten balls late on.
“I’ve sometimes got too many options but hopefully bowled them in the right spots today,” said Mooney.
After Matthews had Mooney lbw following a review Bryce (45 off 41) took Manchester to the brink of victory before she was stumped in Jonassen’s second set.
Jonassen took 1-10 off 15 but should have had more. In her first set Smales, on 1, edged behind off the glove, but it was a difficult edge to discern and Fire did not review.
Later, with the game almost done, Smales (20 not out) was dropped on 15 and Deandra Dottin should have been stumped, though neither were easy chances.
Earlier on Wednesday Southern Brave, the only squad without an Australian, thrashed Northern Superchargers by eight wickets with 17 balls to spare at Southampton.
Both sides came into the match boasting two wins from two but Superchargers were dismissed for 102 off the last of their 100 balls. Skipper Hollie Armitage was last out, top-scoring with 36.
Australia’s Annabel Sutherland was next best with 20 while Phoebe Litchfield made five before falling to New Zealand’s Sophie Devine (3-15). Georgia Wareham was absent.
Last year’s match was a tie with both teams making 100, but this time Brave coasted to victory with England’s Danni Wyatt-Hodge (43) and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt (33) adding 62 in 45 balls.
The results left Brave, who are coached by South Australian Luke Williams, top with 12 points. Superchargers and Originals are respectively third and fourth with eight, and Welsh Fire bottom and pointless.