Southern Brave beat London Spirit by five wickets at Lord’s on August 1, 2026, stretching their winning run to five matches out of five in the Women’s Hundred Competition. The result keeps them clear at the top of the points table and puts them in a strong position to reach the final directly.
Captain Sophie Molineux was named Player of the Match after a performance that shaped the game with both bat and ball.
Molineux Bowls Spirit Into Trouble
London Spirit chose to bat first but never found their rhythm against a tight Brave bowling attack. Molineux set the tone from the top end, finishing with figures of 3 for 7 from her 20 balls and going the entire spell without conceding a single boundary.
Only Lauren Bell, her own teammate, has produced a more economical outing in the tournament’s history, having taken 4 for 6 against Welsh Fire last season. After the game, Molineux pointed to the surface, saying it offered a turn for the spinners, and gave credit to her bowling group for controlling the middle overs.
Wickets fell steadily for the home side. Grace Harris and Amy Jones were both gone inside the powerplay, and the innings struggled to gather pace from there. Marizanne Kapp made 34 off 27 balls, and Nadine de Klerk added 38, striking two sixes off Sarah Glenn during a brief spell of aggression. Neither partnership lasted, and London Spirit were bowled out for 114 having faced their full quota of balls.
Bouchier Guides the Chase
Southern Brave’s reply rested largely on Maia Bouchier, who scored 46 off 38 balls with five fours and a six. Marizanne Kapp struck twice inside the first ten balls of the chase, removing Lizelle Lee and then Jemimah Rodrigues, who had been batting well in recent matches. Even so, a target of 115 always looked within reach on a good Lord’s pitch, and Brave kept the required rate under control through the middle stages.
The finish grew tighter than expected. Both Bouchier and Molineux were dismissed with the scores level, Molineux caught superbly by Deandra Dottin at midwicket off just one run needed. Brave held their composure and got the winning run with seven balls to spare, closing out the match without further alarm.
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Standings Tighten as Season Reaches Halfway Point
The win keeps Southern Brave undefeated and well ahead at the top of the table as the tournament passes its halfway mark. London Spirit, meanwhile, have managed just one win from four games and now face mounting pressure to turn their campaign around. A place in the eliminator stage remains possible for them on paper, though their recent form makes that path harder with each passing round.
Brave’s bowling attack has been the foundation of their campaign so far, and their batting has shown enough depth to cover for off days from individual players. Molineux’s display at Lord’s, both with the ball early on and under pressure at the death, reflected the kind of all-round contribution that has kept her side unbeaten through five rounds of the competition.
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