England batter Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s 59 from 39 balls and a fine all-round display from Sophie Devine led Southern Brave to a 15-run win against Birmingham Phoenix in the women’s Hundred.
Phoenix slipped to 22-3 in pursuit of 140 to win, but captain Ellyse Perry led a revival with stands of 37 with England’s Amy Jones and 36 with Sterre Kalis.
The visitors were in a strong position with 45 needed from the last 30 balls, but New Zealand all-rounder Devine crucially dismissed Perry for 26 to spark a collapse from 95-4 to 124 all out.
Devine also held on to the catch to dismiss Jones for 20, removed Ailsa Lister for one and executed a brilliant run out in her follow-through to get rid of Megan Schutt for seven as Phoenix’s lower order buckled under the pressure, with nobody able to support Kalis’ 44 from 34 balls.
England seamer Lauren Bell also impressed for Brave, with 3-17 to continue her fine form after a three-wicket haul in their opening win against Manchester Originals on Wednesday.
Earlier, Wyatt-Hodge added 52 for the third wicket with Devine, who made 27, after Maia Bouchier fell cheaply for six and South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt made a fluent 28.
Brave had a solid platform at 120-2 with 15 balls remaining, but Phoenix fought back with a flurry of wickets and the hosts were pegged back to 139-7.
Australia seamer Megan Schutt and England’s Em Arlott were the standout bowlers with 2-23 and 2-19 respectively.
The attendance of 11,167 set a new record for a women’s Hundred match at the Utilita Bowl, surpassing the previous best of 10,911 from 2024.