England’s experiment with Amy Jones at the top of the order paid dividends as she and opening partner Tammy Beaumont scored centuries in a 108-run victory over West Indies in the first ODI in Derby.

It was Jones’ maiden international century after 12 years and more than 200 games across formats for England, helping to set a lofty victory target of 346 after captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, who chimed in with a 35-ball fifty, won the toss.

Linsey Smith, the left-arm spinner on ODI debut following a career resurgence in 2024 after nearly five years on the outer, claimed a five-wicket haul to bowl West Indies out for 237 with 10 balls to spare despite a 91-run opening partnership between Hayley Matthews and Qiana Joseph.

Jones and Beaumont both scored at better than a run a ball and shared a 222-run stand for the first wicket as England reached 345 for 6.

Jones had opened the batting 22 times previously in ODIs, but not since the 2019 Women’s Ashes – and 18 times in T20Is, most recently during the World Cup in Australia five years ago.

But perhaps in a sign of what was to come, she had opened with Beaumont in all seven of her innings for The Blaze in this year’s domestic one-day cup competition and scored 80, 52 and 41 in her last three outings there.

Jones’s innings was chanceless until, on 92, she drove the ball hard back at bowler Jahzara Claxton who couldn’t hold on despite getting both hands to it. Karishma Ramharack missed a similarly well-struck return catch off Jones in the next over.

Jones displayed excellent placement and timing, highlighted by a beautiful cover drive off Zaida James for four followed by two more boundaries off the same bowler, threaded expertly between backward and cover point and plundered over mid-on. She brought up her half-century in 59 balls with a single into the leg side off Matthews.

Beaumont was more circumspect in raising her fifty although an assertive six over wide long-on, also off Matthews, put her in touching distance and she met the milestone off 74 balls with a cut single off Afy Fletcher.

Beaumont signalled a remarkable shift in tempo when she followed back-to-back fours off Aaliyah Alleyne immediately with another six pulled over deep square leg. Her third maximum came off Claxton through wide long-on and she showed great innovation moments later to uppercut a four through deep third before edging Claxton’s next ball just past wicketkeeper Mandy Mangru for four more.

Suddenly Beaumont had moved to 92 off 93 and it became a century race between the openers after they posted a first-wicket stand worth 200 for only the fourth time in England Women’s ODI history.

Beaumont reached the landmark first, having faced just 22 balls for her second fifty, as she struck two fours in three balls off Ramharack for her 11th ODI ton.

She could have fallen three balls later had Mangru held a faint edge as Beaumont looked to work a Ramharack delivery fine and she capitalised with another six over wide long-on off Matthews.

Jones brought up her century with a four through extra cover off Cherry-Ann Fraser, prompting a satisfied smile to spread across new head coach Charlotte Edwards’ face.

Beaumont’s innings finally ended as she advanced to Fraser, missed the cutter and heard her middle and leg stumps rattled.

Emma Lamb came in at No. 3 after forcing her way back into the England squad after a peerless start to the domestic 50-over competition. Replacing Maia Boucher in the squad for this series, her stay at the crease was short-lived on Friday when she attempted a reverse-sweep off Matthews and sent a faint top edge to the keeper via her forearm.

Jones launched Fraser down the ground for six, followed by back-to-back fours, but she holed out in Matthews’ next over, ending a brilliant innings.

Sophia Dunkley fell cheaply but Alice Capsey – called into the ODI squad as cover for Heather Knight, who is out for the rest of the summer with a hamstring injury – slotted in at No. 6 and shared a 57-run partnership with Sciver-Brunt.

Sciver-Brunt made a rapid 52 off 36 balls before she fell lbw to Fletcher and Capsey ended with 24 off 19 before she chipped Alleyne to Matthews at extra cover in the final over.

Matthews – player of the T20I series despite her side failing to win a game – and Joseph made a decent start in the face of some scrappy England fielding, although the hosts’ efforts weren’t anywhere near as poor as the last time this duo combined so well at the top of the order against them. On that occasion, during the T20 World Cup, England put down five catches to lose the game and exit the tournament.

Em Arlott, joining Smith on ODI debut after making her first appearances for England during the T20s against West Indies, made the crucial breakthrough by drawing an edge from Matthews, who was caught behind by Jones two runs shy of her half-century.

Arlott should have had her second in the same over – a wicket maiden in the end – as James flashed at a drive which flew straight to backward point but Dunkley spilled the chance.

Arlott then beat James with a late-moving fuller ball but it was Smith who pinned James lbw for a laboured 7 off 29 balls.

In the meantime, Joseph raised her second fifty in ODIs, greeting Capsey’s introduction to the attack with consecutive fours either side of the V followed by a single to long-on to bring up the mark off 53 deliveries.

But it was Capsey who ended Joseph’s stay on 62. After missing a tough caught-and-bowled chance off Shemaine Campbelle the previous delivery, Capsey sent down a slower ball that dipped and beat Joseph’s attempted slog to rattle the stumps.

That sparked a mini-collapse in which West Indies lost three wickets for eight runs in the space of 20 deliveries as Smith bowled Campbelle and Mangru to make it 147 for 5 after they had been 124 for 2.

Dunkley twice held on in the deep midwicket region to give Smith her five-wicket haul, taking skied chances off Claxton and Fraser, the latter off the last ball of Smith’s allocation to give her figures of 5 for 36 off 10 overs.

Alleyne proved stubborn with 44 of 45 balls but she became the last wicket to fall, skying Lauren Bell down the ground and caught by Kate Cross

Brief scores:.
England Women  345 for 6 (Amy Jones 122, Tammy Beaumont 107, Nat Sciver-Brunt 52, Alice Capsey 24; Hayley Matthews 2-49, Afy Fletcher 2-65) beat West Indies Women  237 in 48.2 overs (Hayley Matthews 48, Qiana Joseph 62, Aaliyah Alleyne 44; Em Arlott 2-37, Linsey Smith 5-36) by 108 runs

[Cricinfo]