Nat Sciver fifty guides Rockets to win after bowlers snuff out Fire's innings
Graham, Johnson claim three wickets each as Fire are bundled out for 102
ECB Reporters Network
06-Aug-2021
Heather Graham celebrates the wicket of Sarah Taylor • PA Images via Getty Images
Trent Rockets 103 for 6 (Sciver 54) beat Welsh Fire 102 (Matthews 28, Smith 27, Graham 3-14, Johnson 3-24) by four wickets
Trent Rockets defeated Welsh Fire in Cardiff by four wickets with eight balls to spare thanks to an excellent fifty from Nat Sciver.
The Rockets did a brilliant job at keeping the Fire's batting under control with Heather Graham and Sammy-Jo Johnson claiming three wickets each as the hosts reached 102 all out from their 100 balls.
Sciver made light work of the small target with a measured 54 from 40 balls that set up the win. The victory takes the Rockets to fourth in the Hundred table and within striking distance of a top-three spot and qualification for the knockout stages of the tournament.
Having been put into bat, the Fire struggled to get going inside the Powerplay with Hayley Matthews struggling for timing for the first time in the tournament thus far. After 25 balls, the home team had reached 22 without loss and by the halfway stage of their innings they were 52 for 2 with Matthews on 13 from 25 balls.
There was an acceleration from Matthews as she scored 15 runs in the next six balls she faced. It was exactly what the team needed but she couldn't sustain that scoring rate, slicing a catch to Nancy Harman off the bowling of Graham.
When Graham bowled Sarah Taylor two balls later the Fire had lost all the impetus that the flurry of Matthews boundaries had given them as they found themselves with two batters who had yet to face a ball in the middle.
When Taylor fell the score was 76 for 4 from 63 balls. In the remaining 27 balls of their innings the Fire managed 26 runs for the loss of six wickets, finishing on 102 in a batting effort that included three run outs and three excellent stumpings by Rachel Priest.
The Fire had a sub-par target to defend but they began well with the ball, with Johnson and Priest dismissed inside the first 15 balls. From there the Fire struggled to stay in the game as a 66-run partnership between Sciver and Katherine Brunt put the result beyond doubt.
Brunt and Sciver were amongs four wickets to fall as the Rockets closed in on their target but despite this late flurry it was never enough to put their win in danger.