Athletics

Sunrisers 214 for 5 (Scrivens 118*) beat Central Sparks 213 (Freeborn 93, Coppack 3-26, Hancock 3-34) by five wickets

A high-class century from Grace Scrivens ensured that Sunrisers continued their strong start to the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy season with a five-wicket victory over Central Sparks at Kidderminster.

Put in, Sparks lost both openers for ducks and recovered only partially to post a moderate 213 all out thanks principally to Abi Freeborn's accomplished 93. Only Freeborn stayed long enough against a disciplined attack led by openers Kate Coppack (3 for 26) and Nicola Hancock (3 for 34).

It looked a under-par total on a decent batting pitch and Scrivens navigated Sunrisers' pursuit of it to perfection, with a stroke-laden unbeaten 118 off 123 balls to take her side to 214 for 5 with 10.2 overs to spare.

A third win from four games strengthened Sunrisers' place among the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy front-runners but Central Sparks need to reboot after following their opening-round win with three successive defeats.

"It was great to get another bonus-point win," Scrivens said. "I'm feeling nice at the moment and when you are feeling nice you have to cash in. I was just happy I did that today and helped get us over the line.

"I thought we kept them to a total which was a little bit below par. We bowled well up top to take some wickets and then bowled well through the middle too. Sometimes you can let things drift when you don't take wickets but we stuck at it really well and it was nice to restrict Freeborn to the mid-nineties when she was in and set."

Sparks captain Eve Jones endured a bracing start to the day: at 10am, she lost the toss. At 10.30am, she edged the first ball of the match, an absolute beauty from Coppack, to wicketkeeper Amara Carr.

When Chloe Brewer edged Coppack behind, both Sparks openers had departed without scoring and debutant Courtney Webb walked in to bat with the score at 1 for 2. The pressure on the batters remained high - Coppack opened with 5-2-8-2 and Hancock 5-1-6-0 - but Freeborn and Webb withstood it to add 67 in 20 overs before the latter miscued a straight hit and was caught by Scrivens in front of the sightscreen.

Freeborn completed her second half-century of the season from 99 balls but partners continued to come and go as Davina Perrin and Katie George sent up catches in successive overs from Jo Gardner.

Freeborn had her good fortune - on 69 she should have been out twice to the same ball from Gardner, stumped at one end then run out at the other as she tried to scramble a bye - but batted with selective assertion. The 27-year-old struck 12 fours and was seven short of emulating her century against Sunrisers last season when she top-edged a pull and fell to a fantastic diving catch by Mady Villiers.

Bethan Ellis offered some impetus with a 35-ball 31 which included the only six of the innings, but Coppack and Hancock returned to lop off the tail, supported by more excellent catching.

When Sunrisers replied, the catching bar was raised still further by George's brilliant, one-handed grab at second slip off Grace Potts as Ariana Dowse became the third opening batter in the day to bag a duck.

The fourth opener filled her boots though. Reprieved on 22 when wicketkeeper Freeborn grassed a tough chance from an edge off Grace Potts, Scrivens played with the freedom and confidence of a batter in top form. She reached 50 from 53 balls and celebrated by lifting Ria Fackrell over long-on for six.

Scrivens and Cordelia Griffith (37) added 110 in 19 overs before Fackrell struck twice to retain a Sparks toe-hold in the game. Griffith belted a full toss straight to a fielder and Jodi Grewcock fell lbw, sweeping. When George took another fine catch, at midwicket off Ellis, to end Villiers' counter-attack, it was 149 for 4 and Sparks had a glimmer of opportunity.

That glimmer was emphatically extinguished by Scrivens and Carr (26), the former reaching her century from 108 balls in a victory-clinching fifth-wicket partnership of 59 in nine overs.