Mooney fifty takes Trent Rockets to third spot; MI London, London Spirit clash ends in a tie

Welsh Fire vs Trent Rockets, Cardiff

Beth Mooney's brisk 57 laid the foundation for Trent Rockets' second win of the season as they climbed to the third spot in the table. Chasing a modest 130, Mooney did the groundwork upfront, en route a 27-ball fifty, to help Rockets over the line in just 83 balls once Welsh Fire were restricted.

Mooney did the bulk of the scoring in the 73-run opening stand with Sophie Dunkley, who chipped in with 15 runs off 17 balls but played the ideal second fiddle. Mooney's early assaultmeant the 73 came in just 36 balls before Heather Graham got Fire the breakthrough. Though Mooney departed shortly afterwards, Nat Sciver-Brunt (37 not out off 23 balls) put on an unbroken 40-run stand alongside Ash Gardner to take their side comfortably over the line with 17 balls and eight wickets to spare.

Fire never really got going with thebat earlier. At 28/2, it was up to Sophie Devine (38) and Freya Kemp (36 not out off 29 balls) to inject some impetus. Their 71-run stand came in 44 balls, giving Fire a much-needed push. Devine fell when Fire were on 99, and even though Georgia Wareham's brief cameo of 19 off 10 balls got them to 129, it didn't prove nearly enough.

Brief scores: Welsh Fire 129/3 in 100 balls (Sophie Devine 38, Freya Kemp 36*; Charley Phillips 2-17) lost to Trent Rockets 132/2 in 83 balls (Beth Mooney 57, Nat Sciver-Brunt 37*; Em Arlott 1-15) by 8 wickets

MI London vs London Spirit, London

MI London finally got on the points table, albeit courtesy of a dramatic tie after a thrilling last-ball finish at the Oval in London on Wednesday. Chasing MI's 151, London Spirit needed nine of the final five with Deandra Dottin and Nadine de Klerk in the middle. However, Matthews first sent back the South Africa, despite conceding a boundaryto Dottin, and then kept her compatriot down to a brace when they needed three off the final delivery.

It was Amelia Kerr's unbeaten 49 and a vital cameo from Chinelle Henry that gave MI a commanding total of 151/4 from their 100 balls. Kerr smashed seven boundaries in her 32-ball unbeaten effort while Henry, playing the perfect finisher, slammed two sixes to go with her four fours in a 12-ball 33 that lifted the team past the 150-run mark.

Henry then dented Spirit's chase off the first ball with the key wicket of Grace Harris. Nonetheless, Amy Jones (49 off 36) and Marie Kelly (45 off 28) stitched a 68-run stand in just 46 deliveries to bring them back on track. Kelly was the aggressor, hitting half a dozen boundaries and a maximum in her brisk knock before falling to Kirstie Gordon. The spinner got rid of Jones too but not before she'd stitched another vital 51-run stand with Marizanne Kapp, who chipped in 25 in 13 at 192.31 strike-rate.Dottin and de Klerk were just the right candidates to take Spirit home, but Matthews held her nerve better to eke out a final-ball tie.

Brief scores: MI London 151/4 in 100 balls (Amelia Kerr 49*, Chinelle Henry 33*; Marizanne Kapp 2-24) tied with London Spirit 151/5 in 100 balls (Amy Jones 49, Marie Kelly 45; Kirstie Gordon 2-29, Hayley Matthews 2-33)