Southern Brave make history with 100% league record

In the final match before The Hundred Eliminator on Saturday - and with the teams already inked in for that game, which will decide who takes on the Southern Brave in Sunday's final - this top versus bottom clash was a chance for the home side to maintain their unbeaten record, a feat never before achieved in The Hundred, or for the Fire to find a spark from the dying embers of their campaign.

And it looked for all the world like the visitors would do just that, a disciplined bowling performance restricting an experimental Brave batting line-up to just 106 for 8. It took skipper Georgia Adams' resolute unbeaten innings (30 off 26) to get them up to that mark, with no batter able to break the shackles imposed by Hayley Matthews and Katie Levick.

The Fire, low on confidence as they doubtless were, will have gone in at the break believing they could chalk up a statement victory.

For the home side, Danni Wyatt-Hodge (24 off 23) and Freya Kemp (18 off 19) were the only other batters to manage double figures, while Sophie Devine's appearance at No.8 showed that the Brave were looking to give some other batters time at the crease before Sunday's high-stakes final.

A sprightly start by Sophia Dunkley and Tammy Beaumont (28 off 29) did nothing to dispel the Fire's belief but slowly, surely, the Brave's superb and well-marshalled bowling attack started to turn the screw. 50 for 1 in 56 balls became 56 for 5 in 68 and the Fire had lost four wickets for six runs in 13 deliveries as a slow and low pitch made strokeplay difficult. The Brave, brimming with confidence, took full toll.

Freya Kemp's brilliant run out of Georgia Elwiss, who had just hit the Fire's first boundary for 40 balls, was the icing on the cake and Fire's race was run shortly after.

Lauren Bell continued an outstanding tournament by finishing with the stunning figures of 4 for 6 off her full allocation - becoming this year's leading wicket-taker in the process - as the Fire limped to 77 for 9, having lost eight wickets for 27, to lose by 29 runs.

Meerkat Match Hero Lauren Bell said: "It's been a really good tournament and I feel in a good place. We bowled exceptionally as a unit; we talk about how dots are really important and we fielded great - we are an unbelievable fielding unit.

"It's massive to get eight from eight and we can take that momentum into the final now. We didn't want to slip up here, and at Lord's on Sunday we'll keep our plans really clear, keep doing the basics and enjoy the day."