ENGLAND star Danni Wyatt led Southern Brave to a breakthrough win and moved top of the women’s runscorers list in a seven-wicket rain-affected win against Oval Invincibles.
Wyatt hit an unbeaten 46 from 37 balls, after twice being dropped, to guide the defending champions to a belated first win of this year’s competition with one ball to spare.
Lauren Cheatle and Tilly Corteen-Coleman, two weeks shy of her 17th birthday, claimed two wickets apiece as the hosts were restricted to 79 for four.
Marizanne Kapp struck an unbeaten 26 from 17 balls for the hosts whose innings was delayed for over an hour by rain.
A revised target of 83 was therefore set and Invincibles had their chances to claim the key wicket of Wyatt, who was dropped on four and 14.
Smriti Mandhana was run out cheaply and Maia Bouchier was bowled by the impressive Ryana MacDonald-Gay, who claimed one for seven from a maximum 15 balls.
Wyatt went past Nat Sciver-Brunt’s 209 runs to become the leading runscorer in this year’s women’s competition before Sophia Smale claimed Freya Kemp for three.
The 19-year-old left-armer spinner was then tasked with bowling the final five and initially held her never to restrict Wyatt to a dot and a single before a smart stop kept Chloe Tryon to a one. But Wyatt’s experience told as she made room to shovel her over leg for the winning boundary.
Cheatle earlier removed Chamari Athapaththu for a duck from the third ball, edging behind, and then had Alice Capsey caught in the deep after the England young gun had slapped her for six.
Rain stopped the game for over an hour with the home side 38 for two after 35 balls as the game was reduced to 65 balls.
Corteen-Coleman had Invincibles skipper Lauren Winfield-Hill caught and the in-form Paige Scholfield caught in the deep from successive balls before Kapp added late firepower.
Brave Women remain bottom of The Hundred standings with just two home fixtures to play versus Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire.
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