FairBreak Invitational: Matthews blasts incredible ton as Warriors cruise to crushing win over Falcons
- West Indies opener hits 123 off 52 balls as Warriors reach 230 runs from 20 overs
- Falcons fall 94 runs short at Kowloon Cricket Club to lose second final in 2 years
Hayley Matthews scored a brilliant century as Warriors cruised to their first FairBreak Invitational title on Sunday, beating Falcons by 94 runs.
The West Indies opener destroyed a Falcons bowling attack without main threat Marizanne Kapp, blasting 123 from just 52 balls at Kowloon Cricket Club.
Matthews hit nine sixes and 11 fours in her stay at the crease, and by the time she was dismissed by Mariko Hill, Warriors were 155 for four with just 14 overs gone.
The punishment did not stop there, however, and Kathryn Bryce hit an unbeaten 52 and Sindhu Sriharsha 25 as they carried their side 230 for four from 20 overs.
Chasing an improbable target, Falcons got off to a fast start, with Danni Wyatt and Chamari Athapaththu going at 10 runs an over. But Wyatt (20) became the first of Bryce’s three victims with the score on 45, and when her opening partner fell for 29 with the score on 53, the task got even harder.
Skipper Suzie Bates (25) and Theertha Satish (29) did their best to keep up with an increasingly imposing run rate, but their departures left Falcons with too much to do, and last year’s beaten finalists limped to 137 for eight.
In the day’s first game, the Barmy Army beat Spirit by 22 runs to claim third place, with Deandra Dottin powering her side to 147 for four in their 20 overs.
Dottin (75) came to the crease with the Barmy Army 13 for two, and put on 85 for the third wicket with Kavisha Kumari (24).
Spirit put up a fight in chasing down the target, but ultimately paid the price for two run outs that claimed the wickets of Gargi Bhogle (25) and skipper Nicola Carey (8), and finished on 125 for six.
“It feels amazing to win,” Kumari said. “Last year we gave a good show, unfortunately we could not cross the line and finally this year we defeated Spirit.
“It was amazing to watch Deandra Dottin. The amount of power she has is amazing. Glad she is in the Barmy Army and plays for our team.”
