Welsh Fire ended Birmingham Phoenix’s slim hopes of reaching The Hundred women’s knockout stages and picked up their first win of the season with a 36-run triumph at Edgbaston.
After losing four of their opening five matches, Phoenix needed to win their three remaining games and have a number of other results go their way to bridge the 12-point gap to the top three but fell short in their chase of 151, despite a half-century from captain Ellyse Perry.
Phoenix were reduced to 5-2 after six deliveries, Shabnim Ismail, who claimed 3-16 overall, bowling Emma Lamb and trapping Marie Kelly lbw.
A 56-run stand between Perry and Georgia Voll briefly kept the hosts in the contest but two wickets in two balls swung momentum back in Welsh Fire’s favour and Phoenix’s failure to build any other meaningful partnerships prevented them from mounting a serious chase.
Perry, who scored 55 off 43 balls, was eventually dismissed by Ismail in the penultimate set, while Jess Jonassen picked up 3-24.
Sophia Dunkley scored 53 runs off 43 balls and shared a 71-run second-wicket stand with Hayley Matthews to lay the foundations for already-eliminated Fire.
All-rounder Jonassen then smashed 44 runs off 17 balls, including three fours and four sixes, to help Fire post 150-3 – their highest score of the season.
