London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Oval Invincibles win thrilling Hundred opener

Oval Invincibles win thrilling Hundred opener

Oval Invincibles pull off a thrilling victory over Manchester Originals as the women's Hundred begins with a bang at The Oval.
The Hundred in 100 words


Oval Invincibles pulled off a thrilling victory over Manchester Originals as the women's Hundred began with a bang at The Oval.

Chasing 136, the Invincibles were 36-4 before South Africa pair Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp combined for a partnership of 73.

Kapp was brilliantly stumped by Ellie Threkeld for 38 but captain Van Niekerk hit 56 not out to guide her team home.

She hit Kate Cross for four to seal the win with two balls remaining, resulting in wild celebrations from the youthful London crowd - believed to be a record for a domestic women's professional match.

Opening-night thriller tournament has dreamed of


Could the much-debated Hundred have had a better opening night? Almost certainly not.

There were around 7,400 people in attendance, many of those young children and families, and when the home side secured victory there were people dancing in the aisles.

The night began with dramatic fireworks, had DJs and music acts, but by the end everyone at The Oval was engrossed on the cricket - all of it live on BBC Two.

Van Niekerk, who was crucially dropped twice, played brilliantly and showed all of her experience built in a 186-game international career.

The Invincibles needed 16 from the last 10 balls and Mady Villiers hit her England team-mate Sophie Ecclestone for six over long on.

Van Niekerk batted for 42 balls and scored all around the wicket with her only six a powerful sweep off Hartley over mid-wicket

She hit Kate Cross for four at the start of the final set of five balls before Van Niekerk secured the win with an edge wide of the wicketkeeper.

Even in defeat, Manchester's Alex Hartley was smiling, given the occasion.

"I have never been prouder of a women's cricket game," she said, summing the night up perfectly.

"What a night," added Originals captain Cross. "I don't think we can be too disheartened coming off the pitch with an atmosphere like that. Obviously we're disappointed not getting over the line but what a night!"

The same teams open the men's competition on Thursday, also at The Oval.

Singer-songwriter Becky Hill performed during the break between innings
Drops cost Manchester victory


In truth, it should have been Manchester who notched the first win in cricket's newest format.

Opener Lizelle Lee hit 42 in a decent score batting first and Cross dismissed the Invincibles top three - Georgia Adams, Alice Capsey and Grace Gibbs - with a fine opening spell of the reply.

It was dropped catches that cost the Originals, however.

Harmanpreet Kaur, who earlier made a classy 29, missed a straightforward chance to dismiss Van Niekerk for 28 at mid-off and Kapp was put down on 22 by her South Africa team-mate Mignon du Preez on the boundary - the ball also going for six, adding to Manchester's pain.

With 25 needed from 15 balls there was still time for Hartley to put down Van Niekerk, now on 44, once more. She spilled a mis-hit sweep when fielding near the leg-side boundary.

After losing early wickets, the Invincibles (green line) were behind their opponent's score for much of their innings before their strong finish




Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×