Adams, Kemp knock out defending champions Oval Invincibles
Southern Brave 132 for 3 (Adams 50*, Kemp 41*, Kapp 1-18) beat Oval Invincibles 130 for six (Bates 55, Scholfield 30, Brown 1-8) by seven wickets
Georgia Adams slammed her highest Hundred rating as Southern Brave bettered Oval Invincibles by seven wickets, ending the two-time champions’ reign.
Allrounder Adams took management of a faltering chase with an unbeaten 50 off 32 balls whereas Freya Kemp – unable to bowl this season on account of a stress fracture in her again – scored 41 not out off 21.
Suzie Bates had scored 55 as Invincibles posted a creditable 130 however Adams and Kemp added 73 in 38 balls in entrance of one other file crowd of 10,832 for a ladies’s match on the Ageas Bowl.
Brave had already booked their place within the knockouts however nonetheless have an automated remaining spot of their grasp, whereas their nemesis within the first two finals can now not progress.
Bowling first after shedding the toss, Anya Shrubsole was proven a farewell video on the large display forward of her final Ageas Bowl look earlier than retiring. She responded to the ovation by choosing up Lauren Winfield-Hill’s wicket together with her fifth ball, due to a shocking catch at mid-on by Maia Bouchier. The wicket slumped the Invincibles to six for two after Alice Capsey had already cross-batted Lauren Bell to midwicket.
But the early hassle was abated by Bates’ anchoring throughout stands of 53 and 63 with Marizanne Kapp and Paige Scholfield. The New Zealand veteran’s innings was guided by means of her management and talent to pick the appropriate balls to attain off, with out getting slowed down. To typify that strategy, her fifty got here off 40 balls.
Kapp performed the same position to get the guests out of hassle however fell for 27 when choosing out Chloe Tryon on the deep-square-leg boundary.
At 59 off the primary 55 balls, the tempo wanted to flick in direction of allegro and former Brave all-rounder Scholfield reset the metronome with 30 off 17 balls, which included getting dropped on 3 and plundering a six subsequent ball.
Brave, usually nice on the loss of life, as soon as once more flourished within the final finish because the match’s main wicket-taker Georgia Adams noticed off Scholfield together with her fifteenth wicket and Bates was run out for 55.
Nadine de Klerk slog-swept the penultimate ball to deep sq. leg with three wickets falling for 11 runs within the final ten balls.
A gradual begin and the lack of each openers throughout the first 26 balls put Brave’s chase on the again foot. Smriti Mandhana top-edged a swing throughout the road off Kapp and Danni Wyatt was bowled by de Klerk – the Charlotte Edwards Cup’s high wicket-taker on her first look since changing Dane van Niekerk.
Bouchier and Adams placed on 38 however the asking charge was rising after 17 balls and not using a boundary – attributable to Kapp’s 1 for 18 – and the strain noticed Bouchier slap to cowl.
Brave desperately wanted a Scholfield-esque innings; Kemp supplied it, with Adams upping her strike charge. The recreation swung on Mady Villiers being smashed for 2 sixes in three balls because the duo stepped issues up with 42 off the final 16 balls to finish the sport – Kemp hoisting a most to do it in model with 4 balls to spare.