Northern Superchargers got their campaign in The Hundred off to the perfect start with a comprehensive win over Welsh Fire at Headingley.

Under the new leadership of former England Women’s Head Coach Lisa Keightley, Superchargers batted first and made 141 for 4. In reply, Tammy Beaumont’s Welsh Fire were bowled out for just 94, much to the delight of the 7,208 Superchargers fans in attendance.

The team in purple have kept all three of their Australian overseas stars, and there were runs for both Annabel Sutherland (28) and Georgia Wareham (29*), but it was captain Hollie Armitage who top-scored, with an unbeaten 34.

Welsh Fire have enjoyed two successful seasons in The Hundred, with visits to The Eliminator and The Final to their name across the last two years, and much of their success has been down to their batting – but when Sophia Dunkley and Hayley Matthews found themselves back in the pavilion with the score still in single figures, they faced an uphill task.

Beaumont and Georgia Elwiss tried to undo the damage but the home side possess a balanced attack and they utilised it well, chipping away throughout Fire’s reply to maintain control at all times. It was in the end an easy win, spinners Linsey Smith and Wareham snaffling two wickets apiece, with a couple also for Grace Ballinger.

Welsh Fire will have the opportunity to turn it around very quickly, hosting their first game in Cardiff on Saturday. For Superchargers it’s a visit to Trent Rockets on Sunday, where they’ll look to go two from two.

Meerkat Match Hero Wareham said: “It felt like a really good hit out for the girls, it felt like we were really clinical in all facets which showed up on the scoreboard for us.

“I think [when batting with Hollie Armitage] it was just about being really calm at the time, and knowing that there were actually quite a few balls left. It’s always pretty calm out there with Hollie, she keeps things pretty level. As a team we’re talking about taking the game on, and being brave through different phases of the game, which I think all the batters did really well today.

“With the ball, we wanted to keep the stumps in play as much as we possibly could. The change of pace worked really well for Welsh Fire so we took that into play for us, as well, and as it showed we hit the stumps as often as we could.”

Brief scores:
Northern Superchargers Women 141 for 4 in 100 balls (Davina Perrin 21, Alice Davidson Richards 14, Annabel Sutherland 28, Hollie Armitage 34*, GeorgiaWareham 29*; Shabnim Ismail 1-23, Freya Davis 1-24, Hayley Mathews 2-18)  beat Welsh Fire Women 94 in 98 balls (Tammy Beaumont 36, Georgia Elwiss 13, Katie Levick 11; Grace Ballinger 2-16, Kate Cross 1-17, Linsey Smith 2-18, Georgia Wareham 2-14, Annabel Sutherland 1-19) by 47 runs

[Cricinfo]