Mooney hits 99 as Originals beat Superchargers
Beth Mooney hits an unbeaten 99 as Manchester Originals beat Northern Superchargers by 17 runs in the women’s Hundred competition at Old Trafford.
Beth Mooney hit an unbeaten 99 as Manchester Originals beat Northern Superchargers by 17 runs in the women’s Hundred competition at Old Trafford.
The Australian opener struck the second highest score in the competition’s history as her side made 151-3, a target the Superchargers proved incapable of chasing, finishing on 134-8.
The Originals had suffered the disappointment of being eliminated from the competition by the Invincibles-Spirit result earlier in the day, but will have enjoyed keeping their local rivals from moving top of the table.
The home side won the toss and their decision to bat proved a good one, as Mooney and Laura Wolvaardt put on 60 for the first wicket.
Linsey Smith had Woolvardt stumped, but Mooney accelerated, scoring 51 of the 67 runs in a partnership with Kathryn Bryce.
Originals retired Bryce (13 from 21) with 10 balls to go, replacing her with Sophie Ecclestone, but the England spinner was run out from the final ball of the innings attempting the second run that would have taken Mooney to her century.
The Superchargers lost openers Davina Perrin and Hollie Armitage for single figures in their reply, but the Australian pair of Phoebe Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland put on 41 for the third wicket.
Kim Garth bowled Litchfield and Eve Jones caught Sutherland off the bowling of Bryce to see the Superchargers slip to 102-4.
Georgia Wareham kept the Superchargers in the match, hitting Danielle Gregory for three fours.
But Bryce returned for the final set, combined with Mooney to complete a hat-trick, seeing Alice Davidson-Richards caught and Kate Cross stumped, before removing Wareham two balls later as Superchargers fell well short of their total.
What else do you need to know?
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Despite moving to six points with one game to play, the Originals can no longer make the play-offs. The Superchargers play London Spirit on Tuesday and can secure their knockouts place with a win, but defeat would mean elimination from the tournament.
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Mooney already held the record for the second-highest score in the competition’s history, having hit 97 for London Spirit against Southern Brave in 2022.
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The 30-year-old hit Linsey Smith for a consecutive six and four to reach 98 with two balls remaining. She was unable to score from the penultimate ball of the innings, then managed to send the final delivery to Kate Cross at long-off, with the England seamer removing Ecclestone with a direct hit as she returned to the non-striker’s end.
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The crowd of 11,672 was a new record for a women’s Hundred game at Old Trafford.
‘Pretty good day out’ – what they said
Originals batter Beth Mooney: “Pretty good day out for the Originals.
“If you told me this morning I’d have scored that many runs I’d have taken it. I did the best I could, didn’t quite get the milestone, but it’s about putting the team in a winning position.
“It was a pretty good wicket today, just nice to hit a few out of the middle. I’ve had a couple of starts and not pushed on.”
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13 hours ago
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What is happening on Monday?
It is a Midlands derby on Monday as Birmingham Phoenix host Trent Rockets at Edgbaston. The women’s match starts at 15:00 BST with the men’s game following at 18:30.
You can follow ball-by-ball commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.
