Tammy Beaumont hits highest-ever score in the Hundred as Welsh Fire go top

The England opener hit 118 off 61 balls

(Getty Images)

Welsh Fire captain Tammy Beaumont hit the highest-ever score of 118 in the Hundred to steer her team to a record score of 181 for three in a 41-run victory over Trent Rockets to move top of the table.

The England opener’s score - of 118 off 61 balls - topped the 108 by Will Jacks of Oval Invincibles, was also the first century by a woman in the Hundred and only the third in men’s and women’s matches combined.

The team total of 181 topped the 166 scored by Southern Brave Women against the Welsh Fire two years ago and the win meant a big step towards the hosts’ top-three qualification.

For Beaumont, it caps a remarkable season after she became the first English woman to hit a Test double century during an impressive Ashes series.

Trent Rockets chased the record total bravely, with opener Bryony Smith hitting 48 off 21 balls, but the scale of the task was always too great as they finished with 140 for five.

A record-breaking afternoon at Sophia Gardens started quietly. Beaumont elected to bat first after winning the toss for Welsh Fire.

After a slow start by both Sophia Dunkley and Beaumont against the swing of Alexa Stonehouse, it was the captain who found her feet first as she sent the scoreboard whirring with a combination of sweeps, cuts and straight drives.

Beaumont was dropped at deep square leg by Joanne Gardner off the returning Stonehouse when on 33, while Dunkley could have been run out with a direct hit on 22.

Beaumont brought up her fifty off just 25 balls with another sweep off Kirstie Gordon, scoring at a rate 200 as an example of her more aggressive approach.

Dunkley fell for 24 off 18, trying to sweep the leg spin of Alana King, but there was no slowing of the run rate with Sarah Bryce joining her captain, the 100 coming up off 55 balls.

Beaumont celebrated by hitting four-successive fours off Cassidy McCarthy, then survived an lbw decision on review against King. She was given out, but the ball pitched outside leg.

Having taken 20 off a McCarthy set of five balls, Beaumont then scored 22 off a Naomi Dattani set of five. Her ton came with a single tucked to square leg as she more than earned the right to make sure of the landmark off just 52 balls.

After all the records had fallen, Beaumont was finally out off the penultimate ball of the innings, caught deep square leg by Gardner off the bowling of Kirstie Gordon.

Bryce was overshadowed at the other end, but her 31 off 20 was a useful contribution.

It was a day to forget for most of the Rockets bowlers, but King stood out with one for 16 off her 20 balls, Gordon’s two for 27 off 20 balls the next best performance.

It needed something remarkable from the visitors’ batting line-up, but Lizelle Lee showed her intent with a straight six in the second ball of the innings.

Smith also launched into the Fire bowling, hitting 34 off her first 13 balls. The home side needed wickets and Shabnim Ismail induced a false shot from Lee, who was caught mid off by Georgia Elwiss for 26.

That brought Nat Sciver-Brunt to the wicket, but - at the other end - the Rockets lost Smith as she was well caught by a diving Dunkley at deep midwicket for 48, with Freya Davies the bowler.

Dunkley took an even-better reaction catch off her own bowling to dismiss Sciver-Brunt cheaply. Harmanpreet Kaur (22 not out) batted nicely, but Welsh Fire were able to see out the victory in relative comfort.