Welsh Fire have just been MI London in the last group match of the Women’s Hundred, a result that meant that MI London were left holding the wooden spoon.
THE STANDINGS
The Hundred is an eight team league with a mini-knockout phase at the end. To qualify for the knockouts you have to finish in the top three, which I agree with for an eight team league. The group winners go straight into the final, while second place will host third place in The Eliminator. Some eight team leagues allow the whole top half of the table to qualify for KOs, and there was a brief period when one franchise league that I won’t name and shame even had five teams out of eight qualify for knock outs, meaning that a team with an overall losing record could still be playing KOs after the league stage, clearly ridiculous. A full table can be viewed here.
Manchester Super Giants, relegated to fourth place yesterday, have been a little unfortunate – one game at this tournament was rained out without a ball being bowled and it so happens that this sole ‘no result’ of the tournament involved them. Trent Rockets, runaway winners, with seven wins from their eight games, have absolutely earned their progress straight into the final. Southern Brave started brilliantly but have floundered at the finish, and in the end have had to settle for third, pipped at the post by Sun Risers Leeds, who have the same playing record but a better net run rate. Welsh Fire, victorious against London Spirit in today’s first match took fifth place, with Spirit sixth. MI London managed a mere 120 against Birmingham Phoenix, and although Phoenix struggled early on a big stand between Ellyse Perry (the matchwinner with an unbeaten 62 from 39 balls) and Fatima Sana put the matter beyond doubt.
Focussing specifically on the three teams whose season is not over, Rockets lost their first match but have peeled off seven straight wins since then and looked better as the tournament has progressed. Sun Riser Leeds came good at the right time, while Southern Brave have had a late tournament dip. Brave have an excellent bowling unit but a workaday batting unit, and their relative weakness in this department may cost them in the KOs.
Overall this has been a pretty good tournament, though I have concerns about the way some of the non-international English players are being treated. Lucy Higham of London Spirit, a fine off spinner, has been effectively treated as a specialist fielder. Today they fared so poorly with the bat that she actually got an innings, but her bowling, her strong suit, remained unused.
PHOTOGRAPHS
On Heritage Open Day (September 13th) I will doing the 2-4PM shift at The Secret Garden, Hampton Court, a site I know pretty well. My usual sign off…
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