Rehan Ahmed’s brilliant all-round display inspired Trent Rockets to a commanding seven-wicket win over Manchester Originals in the Men’s Hundred at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.
The young leg-spinner first delivered a tight spell of 2-14 in 20 balls, triggering a collapse that saw the Originals restricted to a paltry 98/8 in 100 balls. He then returned with the bat, striking an unbeaten 45 off 35 balls (5x4, 2x6) to guide the Rockets to 101/3 with 26 balls to spare.
With this victory, Rockets moved to second in the table, level on points with Oval Invincibles.
Willey Leads with Early Breakthroughs
Skipper David Willey set the tone with 3-11, removing Jos Buttler (19) and Rachin Ravindra (0) inside the powerplay. Originals slumped to 51-6 after 60 balls — the lowest total at that stage in this year’s tournament.
Lewis Gregory’s unbeaten 33 (21 balls) offered some resistance, but Originals never recovered.
Nice to get those early poles. We’ve felt like a real unit this season, and Rehan’s intent sums up our approach.
Ahmed Seals the Chase in Style
Chasing just 99, Rockets were briefly rattled at 21-2 before Ahmed anchored the innings. Supported by Tom Moores (22*), he fittingly sealed victory with a boundary. Willey was named Player of the Match but was quick to highlight Ahmed’s fearless cricket.
That’s the intent we’ve talked about — he epitomises that. He’s a tricky one to bowl at.
Women’s Hundred: Originals Crush Rockets by 10 Wickets
In the women’s contest, Kathryn Bryce and Sophie Ecclestone powered Manchester Originals to a historic 10-wicket victory — only the third such win in Women’s Hundred history.
Bryce starred with both bat and ball, taking 2-19 and then smashing an unbeaten 61 off 45 balls. Alongside Beth Mooney (47* off 37), she stitched a record opening stand of 113 runs as Originals cruised home with 18 balls to spare.
Rockets Collapse After Bright Start
Put in to bat, Rockets were well placed at 78-2 thanks to Nat Sciver-Brunt’s 34 (26). But Ecclestone (2-12) and Lauren Filer (3-23) engineered a collapse that saw the hosts crawl to 111/7 in their 100 balls.
We bowled so well as a group. We identified the pitch was slow and used it to our advantage.
Mooney Credits Clinical Execution
Captain Beth Mooney lauded her side’s planning and discipline. “We joked that one big partnership would win us the game, and that’s exactly how it played out. Bryce and Ecclestone were unbelievable,” she said. The win lifted Manchester Originals women to third in the table, keeping their campaign firmly alive.
