Oval Invincibles 127 for 3 (Scholfield 48, Athapaththu 33) defeated Manchester Originals 125 for 4 (Wolvaardt 38) by seven wickets
Oval Invincibles bounced back to form with a decisive seven-wicket triumph over Manchester Originals in the Women's Hundred at Emirates Old Trafford.
A crucial unbeaten 67-run partnership between Paige Scholfield and Marizanne Kapp off 37 balls sealed the chase after the Originals set a target of 125 for 4. Scholfield, in top form, scored a rapid 48 off 27 balls, building on the foundation laid by opener Chamari Athapaththu, who contributed 33 off 36 balls.
The Invincibles also excelled in the field, highlighted by sharp catches, with Australian leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington standing out with figures of 2 for 22.
Both teams were eager to recover from disappointing results on Sunday. The Originals had lost to their rivals Northern Superchargers, while the Invincibles drew against London Spirit, marking a rare two-game winless streak. Tuesday's victory lifted the Invincibles to second place in the points table.
After a slow start, where the Originals managed just 25 without loss after the power play, openers Laura Wolvaardt and Beth Mooney hit seven boundaries in 15 balls. Mooney, the No. 2 draft pick, was starting to settle in when Seren Smale took a sharp catch at short third off Ryana MacDonald-Gay. Moments later, MacDonald-Gay made an even better catch at mid-on to dismiss Wolvaardt, the competition’s second-highest run-scorer.
The Originals struggled to maintain momentum, going 34 balls without a boundary until captain Sophie Ecclestone provided some late power, finishing unbeaten on 26 from 15 balls.
In response, the Invincibles showed the Originals’ total was insufficient on a good pitch. Sri Lankan star Athapaththu and captain Lauren Winfield-Hill put on a 48-run partnership for the first wicket. Despite quick wickets from Alice Monaghan, who removed Winfield-Hill and Alice Capsey, and Athapaththu being lbw to Kathryn Bryce, leaving them at 60 for 3, the Invincibles remained composed.
Scholfield calmed any nerves by hitting seven boundaries, while Kapp added 19 from 11 balls to guide the Invincibles to victory with seven balls to spare.
Meerkat Match Hero Paige Scholfield reflected, “I really enjoyed it. We've had a couple of tough games in a row. You learn more from losing than winning, and we went away and studied what was going on. I think we were more disciplined today. We just spoke about nudging Sophie [Ecclestone] around and rotating the strike, then going after the other bowlers.”