Sunrisers Leeds were 26 for 3 in the powerplay, and Trent Rockets have their first Hundred title

The women’s Hundred final was effectively decided inside 25 balls. Trent Rockets won the toss at Lord’s, put Sunrisers Leeds in, and had them 26 for 3 by the end of the powerplay. Nothing that followed changed the direction of the afternoon, and Rockets won their first title by eight wickets with 46 balls to spare.

Sunrisers were bowled out for 91 with nine balls of their innings unused. Their captain Dani Gibson hit four fours in a 16-ball 22, Annabel Sutherland made 25 off 23 before Beth Mooney stumped her, and India’s Deepti Sharma, whose unbeaten 28 had seen Sunrisers past Southern Brave in Friday’s eliminator, was bowled by Charley Phillips for 12.

Six bowlers, five wicket-takers, nobody expensive

Ashleigh Gardner used six bowlers and every one of them was miserly. Georgia Adams took 2 for 9 from her 15 balls. Phillips took 2 for 12, Georgia Elwiss went for 12 without a wicket, Kim Garth and Samantha Bates took two apiece. Gardner’s own 15 balls cost 23, which made her the most expensive bowler on the field in a game where the winning side conceded 91 in total.

The wickets came in clusters. Bryony Smith and Lauren Winfield-Hill went at 17 and 18, Phoebe Litchfield at 24 after a quick 10 from five balls, and Sunrisers had barely rebuilt to 56 when Deepti fell. Sutherland went four balls later, Jess Jonassen was run out for nought three balls after that, and Darcey Carter was bowled for nought at 62. Three wickets for six runs in the middle of a final, and the innings never recovered.

Dunkley took the chase away

Ninety-two to win at Lord’s is not a target that requires a plan, but Sophia Dunkley treated it like one anyway. She hit 41 from 23 balls with four fours and two sixes, and her opening stand with Mooney was worth 69 from 40. Nat Sciver-Brunt came and went lbw to Sutherland for 4. Mooney finished unbeaten on 31, Gardner on 9, and Rockets got there with more than half their allocation unused.

A first title for a team that had never reached a final

Rockets had spent five editions of this competition falling short, four times in the group stage and once in the eliminator. This season they topped the table with seven wins from eight, beat Sunrisers by five runs in their one league meeting, and then dismantled the defending champions on the day itself. Sunrisers, who finished second and came through the eliminator, produced their worst batting display of the summer at the worst possible moment.

The men’s final at Lord’s follows, with Rockets facing Manchester Super Giants and a double still to play for.

More from our cricket desk