Trent Rockets comfortably beat Welsh Fire by 23 runs to keep their faint qualification hopes alive in The Hundred women’s competition at Sophia Gardens.
Rockets successfully defended a competitive 145-6, but they will be eliminated if Manchester Originals beat Birmingham Phoenix in the later game at 14:30 BST.
Fire, who were already knocked out, fell short on 122-9 as they struggled for partnerships throughout the innings.
They were bamboozled by Rockets’ world-class spinners, Australians Alana King and Ash Gardner, who took five wickets between them.
Leg-spinner King extracted plenty of turn and grip from the Cardiff surface with 3-17, while Gardner’s relentless accuracy saw her take the key wickets of Sophia Dunkley for 26 and Hayley Matthews for 18.
Gardner also set up Rockets’ competitive total in a partnership of 67 with England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt during the middle phase of the innings, after Bryony Smith’s dynamic 38 from 27 balls at the top of the order gave them a useful platform.
