Southern Brave beat Northern Superchargers to win women’s title
![Southern Brave beat Northern Superchargers to win women’s title](https://www.news-tube.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/the-hundreds-1.jpg)
This time, Brave defeated Superchargers by 34 runs after losing the previous two finals to Oval Invincibles.
With Danni Wyatt’s 59 from just 17 balls, and Freya Kemp’s 31, Brave recovered from 8-2 to post 139-6.
After Lauren Bell bowled the first ball of the reply, the Superchargers lost Marie Kelly. When Phoebe Litchfield slashed Bell to deep cover, Superchargers were 13-2 and couldn’t recover.
In a ruthless display with the ball and in the field, Bell finished with 3-21 and spinner Kalea Moore took 3-15. With six balls left, the Superchargers were dismissed for 105, effectively ending the threat.
Anya Shrubsole has won The Hundred trophy after her final game as a professional, following former England teammates Katherine Sciver-Brunt and Alex Hartley into retirement. In those two final defeats by Invincibles, Brave underperformed twice, but arrived this year as strong favourites. Defending their title in front of 21,636 fans at Lord’s was a record crowd for a women’s domestic game in this country.
Their leading run-scorer is Wyatt, while their top wicket-taker is Georgia Adams.
It will be hard to replace Shrubsole’s shrewd leadership, but the new captain will have the guidance of legendary former England captain Charlotte Edwards, the coach who also won the Women’s Premier League with Mumbai Indians earlier this year.
Smriti Mandhana cut Grace Ballinger to gully on the second ball of the match, and Maia Bouchier edged Kate Cross, but Wyatt rebuilt through the off side.
Wyatt was in full flow when she was run out under unfortunate circumstances. Adams’ straight drive hit Wyatt, with bowler Cross picking up the rebound and removing the bails at the non-striker’s end. Before her dismissal, Wyatt had taken 26 runs from 11 balls.
With five fours in a stylish knock, Kemp, the 18-year-old England all-rounder, could have derailed Brave.
With four balls left, Kemp was bowled to give Cross her third wicket, but Brave seemed to have enough to win.