A look back at London Spirit v Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred (women’s) and a photo gallery.
Today has been a double double header day in The Hundred. I missed most of the first match due it also being a WNAG adults pizza making session. The second between the London Spirit and Birmingham Phoenix women’s sides has just ended. This post looks back at that match. In the other game the most noteworthy contribution came from Phoebe Litchfield, who reached 50 off 22 balls, the joint second quickest in the competition’s history behind her own 20 ball 50 described here.
THE LONDON SPIRIT INNINGS
London Spirit achieved a respectable score largely thanks to Marizanne Kapp. Amy Jones scored 39 at the top of the order, but it was Kapp who provided the vital acceleration, her 57 not out coming from 28 balls and propelling Spirit to 140-4. Of the London Spirit players who were in the XI but did not get to bat two, Deandra Dottin and Lucy Higham would end up not bowling either. Higham is an excellent fielder, but it was rough on her that she was not used for anything else – she is a fine bowler and can handle a bat. Dottin should probably not have been picked at all for this one – with both sides already eliminated this was a prime opportunity to give some of the squad players some game time.
THE PHOENIX REPLY
Phoenix barely got going at all, and at no stage did they even look like being up with the rate. We were treated to the bizarre spectacle of Emma Lamb and Tammy Beaumont, both at their best opening the innings, and that in longer format games than 100 balls per side, forming a middle order partnership with almost two per ball needed when they joined forces. In the end Phoenix limped to 108-8, beaten by 32 runs. Charlie Dean 3-17 from 20 balls, but it was Kapp, with 1-10 from 15 balls to set alongside her blazing half century who was rightly named ‘Match Hero’. Scorecard here.
PHOTOGRAPHS
My usual sign off…
A hummingbird hawkmoth (two pics)This unfortunate muntjac was in the stretch of the Gaywood between Highgate and Wyatt Street, the second time I have recently seen a muntjac carcase in that stretch of water. The pizza pics start here – this shows the dough in the early stages – I have just started to work it and it looks a bit like a fried egg.The final pizza – and it was splendid.
A look back at the Men’s Hundred (mis)match between MI London and Sunrisers Leeds at The Oval yesterday and a large photo gallery.
The Hundred has undergone a major revamp since last summer, with the IPL getting involved in a big way. This post looks at the early stages of the competition.
NEW ERA OFF TO A FAMILIAR START
The first match of the Hundred in 2026 featured MI London (the former Oval Invincibles, and although the MI derives from the IPL franchise Mumbai Indians, who now own this franchise as well as many others we have been instructed that the required pronunciation is ‘My London’ not ‘M I London’) in action against Sunrisers Leeds (nee Northern Superchargers, also now owned by an IPL franchise, in this case Hyderabad). I missed the women’s match due to being at work, but I did listen to the men’s game.
Sunrisers Leeds, batting first, started brightly, and for more than half of their allotted 100 balls looked to be going very well. The key moment was the dismissal of Mitch ‘the bison’ Marsh for 41, caught by Sam Curran off Tom Curran, which made it 84-3 from 56 balls. That started a collapse, and Leeds were all out for 143 off the penultimate ball of their innings. Richard Gleeson had 4-25 from 19 balls and Sam Curran 2-27 from 15 balls.
Will Jacks and Jason Roy were both out cheaply for the London side, but a good stand between James Vince and Sam Curran took them past 50 before Vince was bowled for 17 to make it 51-3 from 44 balls. That brought Nicholas Pooran, one of the ultimate ‘guns for hire’ in this era of franchise cricket, to the crease to join Curran. Curran batted beautifully, but even he was overshadowed by the pyrotechnics of Pooran. The Oval is a big ground, but most of Pooran’s five sixes cleared the ropes by a very long way. In all the West Indian hammered 58 not out from 22 balls with five of each kind of boundary, Curran ended on 60 not out from 39 balls with five fours and three sixes. The London side had romped home by seven wickets with 16 balls to spare, a barely credible margin in a match in this format. Sam Curran’s all round efforts plus his captaincy of the London side secured him the ‘Match Hero’ award. Some names of changed and there is more money involved, but the franchise based at The Oval still looks formidably strong. Full scorecard here.
PHOTOGRAPHS
After a reminder to click on photos to view them at larger size we move to my usual sign off…
A hummingbird hawkmoth extracting nectar from a buddleia plant……and close up in all its glory.It rained lightly but persistently yesterday morning, and that brought the snails out in force.This red admiral has seen better days.goldfinches on a roof.This feather, which I saw lying near the Gaywood river at Kettlewell Lane Park originally belonged to a blue jay.Two bumblebees enjoying the same buddleia head.A painted lady rests on a patch of gravelA gatekeeper oblingly spreads its wings.
A look at two outstanding performances by youngsters today in The Hundred (women’s) and a photo gallery.
Today, like yesterday has been a ‘double double header’ day in The Hundred – one morning/ afternoon double header and one afternoon/ evening double header – the evening match between the Trent Rockets and Northern Superchargers men’s teams gets underway at 6PM. I have followed my usual policy on such days where there is an overlap of listening to the morning match, then listening to both matches of the second double header, which means I listen to two women’s and one men’s match. This post looks at the two women’s games that happened today.
CORTEEN-COLEMAN PUTS SKIDS UNDER PHOENIX
Southern Brave had tallied a respectable but not outstanding 139-8 from their 100 balls. Danni Wyatt-Hodge led the way with 59, while there were also useful contributions from Kiwi veteran Sophie Devine and silky South African Laura Wolvaardt. Young left arm wrist spinner Millie Taylor continued what is becoming a very memorable season for her by taking 1-25 from her 20 balls.
Birmingham Phoenix had got to 19 without loss from the first ten balls of the reply when Southern Brave turned to 17 year old left arm orthodox spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman. In the space of three balls she changed the complexion of the match, bowling Emma Lamb for 9 with her first ball, and then two balls later dismissing Marie Kelly the same way, for a duck. When Lauren Bell got rid of the surviving opener, Georgia Voll, with the 18th ball of the innings the Phoenix was well and truly in the ashes, and unlike in the legend this one was not going to revive. Ellyse Perry, Amy Jones and especially Sterre Kalis kept things alive for them, but they were never other than behind the rate, and when Kalis finally fell, to the third last ball of the match, caught by Corteen-Coleman off Bell for 44 (34) it was 124-9, 16 needed off three balls. None of those runs were scored, Hannah Baker surviving one ball before being castled by the next, the penultimate scheduled ball of the match. Sophie Devine was named player of the match for her 27 and 2-28, though personally I would have given it to Corteen-Coleman whose two early wickets put the skids under the Phoenix chase, and whose catch to dismiss Kalis effectively sealed things for Southern Brave. Scorecard here.
PERRIN PULVERISES THE ROCKETS
The focus for me now switched to Nottingham, where Trent Rockets were playing host to Northern Superchargers. Rockets began appallingly, losing three wickets almost before they were started. Their skipper, Ashleigh Gardner, led a fightback, scoring 61 off 32 balls, but they could do no better than 128-8.
Davina Perrin, an 18 year old opening batter, proceeded to make an inadequate total look positively risible, as she climbed into the Rockets bowlers. Alice Davidson-Richards provided early support, and then when she was out Phoebe Litchfield, the 22 year old Australian, produced a splendid cameo, scoring 22 off just 10 balls. Annabel Sutherland, generally regarded as the best current all rounder in the women’s game, and player of the tournament in2024, now came to the crease, and it fell to her in the end to make the winning hit, a four that took her to 18 not out off 11. Perrin had scored 72 not out from 40 balls, with 12 fours. This supercharged performance gave Superchargers the win by eight wickets, with 21 balls to spare. Scorecard here.
PHOTOGRAPHS
My usual sign off…
A beetle on my left forearm this morning (three pics)Some butterflies in my back garden – three red admirals and one European Peacock.A comma butterfly on an ivy flowerhead from my post-lunch walkfrom the same walk, a small pale green insect with wings so diaphanous as to virtually transparent temporarily on my left arm.Another visitor to the garden, a hummingbird hawkmoth I think (three pics).
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