Women’s Hundred 2024 Match Report, LS-W vs OI-W 15th Match, 04th August 2024

Spirit of London 113 for 9 (Deepti 44, Kapp 4-11) tied with Invincible Ovals 113 for 8 (Kapp 47, Deepti 3-18)

Oval Invincibles and London Spirit played out a last-ball thriller in front of a cheering crowd of 17,810 at Lord’s in the Hundred. An ice-cold run from Charlie Dean as Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Jo Gardner chased a final-ball winning double denied the visitors what not long before had looked like a comfortable victory.

“It was fine until I left: It cost us the game, so I’m very disappointed,” Kapp said. “The plan was to stay in there and go as deep as we could. We knew they were going to throw their best pitchers, so I was just trying to get a hit.”

Oval Invincibles captain Lauren Winfield-Hill’s decision to bowl first was immediately vindicated when Kapp bowled Meg Lanning off the fourth ball. Cordelia Griffith and Georgia Redmayne responded well, but Kapp then bowled both batters either side of the Powerplay restrictions being lifted.

MacDonald-Gay continued the Invincibles’ momentum, striking out Dani Gibson before Kapp struck again with the final ball of his spell, striking out Heather Knight for his fourth clean out of the inning.

Deepti led the recovery, scoring 44 off 34, at a brisk pace. She was ably supported by Dean and Eva Gray, enabling Spirit to reach a total of 113 for 9 despite a flurry of late wickets, including two off two from Sophia Smale.

In reply, Spirit had both openers out early on. Chamari Athapaththu was caught off Tara Norris’s throw, and Eva Gray left Winfield-Hill stumped thanks to the quick hands of Redmayne, who kept wicket impressively throughout the game.

Kapp then led the Invincibles’ attack, hitting 47 off 32. She and Alice Capsey (31 off 19) put on a towering 55-run partnership before Deepti bowled the last over.

Dean took a stunning catch from Deepti’s delivery soon after to remove Paige Scholfield and the Invincibles’ chase became more complicated when the England offspinner then bowled Mady Villiers, and Sarah Glenn expertly dismissed Amanda-Jade Wellington, leaving the visitors six wickets down, needing 32 from 32.

After an assured partnership with Gardner, Kapp was bowled by Deepti with just four runs required from eight. MacDonald-Gay and Gardner failed to see their side home as Gibson kept his cool with the ball and Dean found Redmayne with a fine deep shot to leave MacDonald-Gay well short of his ground seeking the two runs he needed off the final ball.