A blistering knock from Beth Mooney ensured that Trent Rockets Women strolled to their second win of this year's competition against Welsh Fire.
The left-hander, who was the central figure as Australia won last month’s T20 World Cup, brought up her fifty from just 27 balls, before departing for 57.
Mooney was well supported by her opening partner Sophia Dunkley – who joined in a 73-run stand for the first wicket – and then Nat Sciver-Brunt, returning to the line-up for the first time this summer. Sciver-Brunt looked in typically dominant touch, finishing unbeaten on 37 and ending proceedings with a towering six, as the Rockets got home with 17 balls to spare.
The Fire were unable to exert any sustained pressure with the ball and stuttered with the bat. They were sluggish through the powerplay, Voll and Ella McCaughan managing just 15 between them, and when they departed, it placed heavy emphasis on Freya Kemp and Sophie Devine to inject some urgency. Both players pushed hard, but neither found top rhythm, with Kemp batting through for an unbeaten 36 from 29 balls.
The Australian pairing of Kim Garth and Samantha Bates bowled tightly, but Charley Phillips was the star with the ball. Coming in for her first game in the tournament, the slingy pace bowler bowled with great variety and skill to shackle the Fire in the middle third, picking up the wickets of Voll and then Devine, clean bowled, while conceding just 17 from her full allocation.
Meerkat Match Hero Beth Mooney said: “We knew that one big partnership was probably going to win that game. When you’re chasing a total like that it’s pretty good to break the back of the chase as early as you can and thankfully Dunks and I could do that. I got a little bit lucky but I got a few away as well."
