Rockets keep slim hopes alive with six-wicket win
Invincibles kept in check by spin trio of Kirstie Gordon, Ash Gardner and Alana King
ECB Media
21-Aug-2025 • 14 hrs ago
Ash Gardner and Kirstie Gordon helped restrict Invincibles to a sub-par total • ECB via Getty Images
Trent Rockets 113 for 4 (Scrivens 34, Wellington 1-15, Capsey 1-16) beat Oval Invincibles 109 for 7 (Lanning 45, Gardner 2-10, Gordon 2-21) by six wickets
Trent Rockets won a must-win game against Oval Invincibles at The Kia Oval to keep alive their slim qualification hopes in The Hundred.
Both teams were coming into the match off the back of defeats and a loss would have spelled the end of Rockets' campaign but, having won the toss and elected to bowl first, they'd have been delighted at the break to have limited the hosts to just 109 for 7.
It was a curious innings for the home team who seemed to struggle to adapt to the surface, never able to kick on in terms of run-rate and kept in check throughout by the Rockets' spin trio of Kirstie Gordon, Alana King and Ash Gardner.
Meg Lanning top-scored with a 35-ball 45, and she put on 47 for the second wicket with Alice Capsey (15), but Rockets would have been the happier of the two teams between innings.
They got off to a strong start in their run chase with Bryony Smith and the recalled Grace Scrivens putting on 51 for the opening wicket, and despite a few blips - losing Nat Sciver-Brunt and captain Gardner - they were comfortable enough in hauling in Invincibles' total with 16 balls to spare - Jodi Grewock and Heather Graham adding a late flourish to finish the game in a hurry.
Rockets' next game is at bottom-placed Welsh Fire, a huge chance to keep their qualification hopes alive, while for Oval Invincibles they'll need to reverse their slump at Headingley on Saturday to keep themselves in the fight.
Meerkat Match Hero Scrivens said: "I'm happy to get the win. I was really glad to be back in the team and to help contribute. Obviously, I would have liked to have finished it off, but I'm happy.
"I think Bry played her [Marizanne Kapp] really well. She obviously sat deep, used the bounce and the wicket and the square, so I thought it was a really good option for her. I thought it was a really good pitch, I thought they were under-par, and I was happy when we chased them."