Trent Rockets 153 for 8 (Dunkley 57, Luff 51) beat Manchester Super Giants 122 (Lanning 35, Gardner 4-16) by 31 runs
Chasing 154, the Super Giants lost a wicket from the seventh ball of the chase when the dangerous Smriti Mandhana was stumped for 4 off Samantha Bates. They quickly found themselves 31 for 3, but Meg Lanning, starved of the strike in the early exchanges, put her foot down against the legspin of Katie Levick and began to look threatening.
Gardner then swung things considerably in the Rockets’ favour when she trapped Lanning lbw for 35 to leave the Super Giants rocking at 89 for 5. Gardner then turned catcher, taking a great grab at long-off to see the back of Kathryn Bryce for 27.
Late hitting from Maitlan Brown kept the Super Giants in with a shout, but when she was run out by Georgia Adams, their chances went with her. Gardner then mopped up to finish with 4 for 16.
The Rockets lost the big wicket of Beth Mooney early, bowled by Grace Ballinger after attempting to pull a ball that didn’t get up. Luff – in at No. 3 in the absence of Nat Sciver-Brunt, still managing a calf injury – and Dunkley then took charge of the innings.
Luff used her feet to launch Sophie Ecclestone for a leg-side maximum and went after Bryce, depositing her for three consecutive fours. Both batters then dispatched Villiers for sixes over the midwicket boundary as they brought up their 50 stand off 33 balls.
Luff reached her first-ever half-century in the Hundred but fell shortly after for 51. Dunkley then raised her bat for a 50 of her own before she was caught at point off Ecclestone for 57.
The left-arm spinner then bowled Bess Heath for a duck and Villiers had Gardner stumped for 5 with the Rockets losing three wickets for five runs as the Super Giants fought back brilliantly, but ultimately couldn’t stop the Rockets posting a total north of 150.
Sophia Dunkley was named player of the match for her half-century and three catches in the outfield. She said: “I found the pitch a little bit tricky, it wasn’t my best [in terms of] fluency but great to get the win.
“It took me a while to get used to conditions. I thought Luffy was outstanding as well, came in and brought the momentum and got us to a really good score.”
