Trent Rockets finally found some form with the bat to keep themselves alive in The Hundred by recording an 18-run win against London Spirit.
Opener Bryony Smith’s 63 off 44 balls provided the bedrock in a total of 142-4, backed up primarily by skipper Nat Sciver, who celebrated her 30th birthday by making an unbeaten 42 and taking two wickets in two balls at Trent Bridge.
Spirit, already effectively out of contention after three defeats in three, were always off the pace in the chase despite Naomi Dattani’s unbeaten 38 off 34 and New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr’s 26 off 19.
Rockets had failed to post a score bigger than 119 in their opening three matches but, after being put in, they passed that mark with 16 balls remaining and moments after Smith had gone to her maiden fifty in the competition.
Elyse Villani, employing the scoop and the reverse sweep to good effect, set the tone by hitting five of the first 15 balls for fours in a powerplay worth 37 runs.
She was bowled for 24 by Kerr’s googly, after which the flow of boundaries was stemmed for 15 balls until Smith started to find her range with four in quick succession.
Sciver was largely a spectator at this point, but once she had chance to weigh up the pitch, she hit Danielle Gibson for three fours in a row.
With a half-century in the bag from 39 balls, Smith went for broke. Her power cleared the rope for maximums to the straight boundary off Gibson and Charlie Dean as the skipper conceded 14 in her last set of five.
Smith holed out to deep midwicket and Sciver skied one to long-on, with Mignon du Preez run out in between as three wickets fell in eight balls at the death.
Spirit lost Beth Mooney for 13 as Sciver made an impact with the ball.
The skipper kept her eyes fixed on a steepling top edge to dismiss the opener caught and bowled before knocking back Alice Monaghan’s off stump first ball.
Kerr solidly kept out Sciver’s hat-trick attempt but Spirit suffered another setback as Australian leg spinner Alana King trapped Grace Scrivens lbw.
Just one boundary in 25 balls left Spirit needing 88 from 50 and though Kerr and Dattani kept them just about in it they needed to find boundaries.
Kerr got one when she pulled Sarah Glenn’s leg spin but went for the sweep and missed the next ball and was lbw.
Smith capped her day with a wicket when Gibson was caught at short fine leg and Sophie Luff holed out to extra cover as the visitors came up short.
