SunRisers Leeds open season with victory
SunRisers Leeds Women began their Hundred campaign with a seven-wicket victory over MI London. The match, held at The Kia Oval, marked a new era for the competition, featuring two teams that have undergone name changes due to significant overseas investment. SunRisers Leeds, who previously won the title under the name Northern Superchargers, successfully chased down MI London‘s total of 107-8 with 31 balls remaining.
MI London, formerly known as Oval Invincibles, had an opening stand of 57 between Hayley Matthews, who scored 33, and Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who contributed 29. However, SunRisers Leeds managed to break this partnership and restrict their opponents.
For SunRisers Leeds, Australian opener Phoebe Litchfield was the top-scorer with 43 runs off 26 deliveries. She recovered from an incident where she was involved in running out her compatriot Jess Jonassen, who had scored 14, after attempting a single that was not feasible. Another Australian player, Annabel Sutherland, added 30 not out off 23 deliveries, while captain Dani Gibson hit the winning boundary, finishing with 12 not out off 7 balls.
Injury concern for Kate Cross
Despite the victory, SunRisers Leeds faced a setback with a shoulder injury sustained by Kate Cross. The incident occurred shortly after Cross had taken a running catch at long-on to dismiss Wyatt-Hodge. Cross landed awkwardly while fielding at extra-cover and left the field in pain. While it has been confirmed that her shoulder is not dislocated, she is scheduled to undergo scans to assess the extent of the injury.
Dani Gibson, the most expensive English player in the Hundred auction earlier this year after SunRisers Leeds acquired her for £190k, also made a significant contribution with the ball, taking two wickets for 17 runs. Her wickets included that of Australia’s Nicola Carey, who scored 5 and was bowled by a cross-seamer. Spin bowlers were effective for SunRisers Leeds, with Wyatt-Hodge, West Indies skipper Matthews, and New Zealand captain Melie Kerr, who scored 13, all falling to spin.
Deepti Sharma claimed two wickets for 20 runs, dismissing both Wyatt-Hodge and Matthews, the latter caught and bowled by the India all-rounder. Young English leg-spinner Hannah Baker also contributed with two wickets for 16 runs, including that of Kerr.
Surrey players feature in The Hundred
The Hundred, now in its sixth year, sees numerous players from Surrey participating. For MI London, The Kia Oval remains home to Surrey players such as Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Kira Chathli, Alice Davidson-Richards, Alice Monaghan, Kalea Moore, and Alexa Stonehouse. Kate Coppack, a recent signing for Surrey who will join the club before the 2027 season, is also playing for MI London this summer.
Other Surrey players are distributed across different teams. Bryony Smith, the Surrey skipper, has joined SunRisers Leeds. Sam Curran leads MI London‘s men’s team, which also includes Tom Curran, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Ollie Sykes, and Jason Roy. Alice Capsey and Jemima Spence are with Birmingham Phoenix, while Matt Fisher and Jamie Overton represent London Spirit. Gus Atkinson, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, and Paige Scholfield are playing for Manchester Super Giants. Jamie Smith, Chris Jordan, Dan Worrall, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, and Phoebe Franklin are part of Southern Brave. Sophia Dunley is with Trent Rockets, and Jordan Clark is playing for Welsh Fire.
The next fixtures for the Hundred include a double-header on Wednesday from the Utilita Bowl in Southampton, where Southern Brave will take on Welsh Fire, with the women’s game starting at 2.45pm.
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Source: skysports.com
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Charlie Bradshaw is the Senior Football Correspondent at News-GB, covering the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side with ten years of reporting experience. He covered Merseyside football before going national. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from Liverpool John Moores University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Liverpool, he watches non-league sides and collects old match programmes. “The back page is only ever half the story.”