Welsh Fire captain Tammy Beaumont hit the highest-ever rating of 118 within the Hundred to steer her workforce to a file rating of 181 for 3 in a 41-run victory over Trent Rockets to maneuver high of the desk.
The England opener’s rating – of 118 off 61 balls – topped the 108 by Will Jacks of Oval Invincibles, was additionally the primary century by a girl within the Hundred and solely the third in males’s and ladies’s matches mixed.
The workforce whole of 181 topped the 166 scored by Southern Brave Women towards the Welsh Fire two years in the past and the win meant a giant step in direction of the hosts’ top-three qualification.
For Beaumont, it caps a outstanding season after she turned the primary English lady to hit a Test double century throughout a powerful Ashes sequence.
Trent Rockets chased the file whole bravely, with opener Bryony Smith hitting 48 off 21 balls, however the scale of the duty was all the time too nice as they completed with 140 for 5.
A record-breaking afternoon at Sophia Gardens began quietly. Beaumont elected to bat first after successful the toss for Welsh Fire.
After a gradual begin by each Sophia Dunkley and Beaumont towards the swing of Alexa Stonehouse, it was the captain who discovered her toes first as she despatched the scoreboard whirring with a mixture of sweeps, cuts and straight drives.
Beaumont was dropped at deep sq. leg by Joanne Gardner off the returning Stonehouse when on 33, whereas Dunkley may have been run out with a direct hit on 22.
Beaumont introduced up her fifty off simply 25 balls with one other sweep off Kirstie Gordon, scoring at a charge 200 for example of her extra aggressive strategy.
Dunkley fell for twenty-four off 18, attempting to brush the leg spin of Alana King, however there was no slowing of the run charge with Sarah Bryce becoming a member of her captain, the 100 developing off 55 balls.
Beaumont celebrated by hitting four-successive fours off Cassidy McCarthy, then survived an lbw resolution on overview towards King. She was given out, however the ball pitched exterior leg.
Having taken 20 off a McCarthy set of 5 balls, Beaumont then scored 22 off a Naomi Dattani set of 5. Her ton got here with a single tucked to sq. leg as she greater than earned the correct to verify of the landmark off simply 52 balls.
After all of the information had fallen, Beaumont was lastly out off the penultimate ball of the innings, caught deep sq. leg by Gardner off the bowling of Kirstie Gordon.
Bryce was overshadowed on the different finish, however her 31 off 20 was a helpful contribution.
It was a day to overlook for a lot of the Rockets bowlers, however King stood out with one for 16 off her 20 balls, Gordon’s two for 27 off 20 balls the subsequent greatest efficiency.
It wanted one thing outstanding from the guests’ batting line-up, however Lizelle Lee confirmed her intent with a straight six within the second ball of the innings.
Smith additionally launched into the Fire bowling, hitting 34 off her first 13 balls. The dwelling aspect wanted wickets and Shabnim Ismail induced a false shot from Lee, who was caught mid off by Georgia Elwiss for 26.
That introduced Nat Sciver-Brunt to the wicket, however – on the different finish – the Rockets misplaced Smith as she was properly caught by a diving Dunkley at deep midwicket for 48, with Freya Davies the bowler.
Dunkley took an even-better response catch off her personal bowling to dismiss Sciver-Brunt cheaply. Harmanpreet Kaur (22 not out) batted properly, however Welsh Fire had been in a position to see out the victory in relative consolation.