Manchester Originals 97 for 1 (Lee 43*, Lamb 32) beat Oval Invincibles 123 for 7 (Jones 3-17, Hartley 3-29) by 17 runs on DLS
Lizelle Lee smashed a superb 43 not out to fire bottom side Manchester Originals to a shock 17-run DLS win over women's Hundred pace-setters Southern Brave at Emirates Old Trafford.
The Originals, chasing 124, won their first match at the fifth attempt, while the Brave's bid for a fifth straight win was halted in murky Manchester conditions. Harmanpreet Kaur was missing from the Originals XI due to a "quad niggle", but they thrived in her absence to get over the line.
The Brave lost four late wickets for five runs in seven balls, undermining their bid for more than 123 for 7 having been inserted.
South African Lee shared 52 in 38 balls with Emma Lamb to set the tone for the chase and completed the job once her opening partner had fallen, finishing with four fours and a six in 32 balls. When heavy rain arrived, the Originals were 97 for 1, needing only 27 more from 30 balls, and they were comfortable winners on DLS.
Each of the Brave's top four made valuable contributions on a true pitch; Sophia Dunkley and Stafanie Taylor made 28 apiece after 24 and 19 for openers Danni Wyatt and Smriti Mandhana.
For the Originals, Hannah Jones and Alex Hartley claimed three wickets apiece to upstage fellow left-arm spinner, England's wicketless Sophie Ecclestone.
Wyatt and Mandhana shared a brisk opening stand of 34 and hit four boundaries apiece in their respective innings. Over cover was a productive area.
But the Brave's early good work was wasted by the late collapse as the score fell from 113 for 3 after 88 balls to 118 for 7 after 96.
Hartley had Maia Bouchier caught at cover and Amanda-Jade Wellington lbw with successive deliveries before Jones and Kate Cross also shared two wickets in two balls. Hartley finished with 3 for 29 and Jones 3 for 17 from their respective 20 balls.
In reply, England hopeful Lamb was the early dominant force with 32 off 23. She crashed five boundaries and was particularly strong square either side of the wicket before running herself out when she pushed to cover and was the victim of a direct hit at the non-striker's end from Anya Shrubsole to leave the score at 52 for 1 after 38.
Mignon du Preez then joined her compatriot Lee as runs continued to flow. When Lee hoisted Charlotte Taylor's spin over long-on for the first of two sixes in the match, the Originals were 76 for 1, needing 48 more with 46 balls remaining.
Shortly afterwards, Du Preez - who made 15 not out - lofted Wellington's legspin over long-on for six. But there was only time for two more balls, with them sharing an unbroken 45.
"When you start the tournament with three losses and don't get an opportunity to win the fourth because of rain, there's a lot of pressure," Cross said. "But I just loved the way we went about our cricket today. That was what pleased me the most. When you're losing, it would be easy to go into your shell even more.
"We had a chat on Monday and said, 'We've got nothing to lose now. Let's not worry about failing because the more you worry about that, the more likely you are to fail'. We just took the shackles off. It's not how you start, it's how you finish."
Lizelle Lee
Emma Lamb
Hannah Jones
Alex Hartley
Southern Brave (Women)
Manchester Originals (Women)
Brave vs Originals
The Hundred Women's Competition
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