Grace Harris Shines as London Spirit Women Defeat Oval Invincibles in Hundred 2025 Opener

On August 5, 2025, Lord’s Cricket Ground was buzzing with energy as 15,640 fans packed the stands for the opening clash of the 2025 Hundred Women’s Competition. The London Spirit Women faced off against the Oval Invincibles Women in a match that had everything: heart-stopping moments, explosive batting, and tight bowling. The Spirit clinched a 17-run victory, powered by Grace Harris’s jaw-dropping, unbeaten 89 and a bowling attack that held its nerve when it mattered most.

London Spirit Women Innings

The Oval Invincibles won the toss and chose to bowl, clearly hoping to make early inroads under the Lord’s lights. They weren’t wrong to back their bowlers, especially with Marizanne Kapp steaming in. She struck gold in her first set of five, sending Georgia Redmayne, the Spirit’s wicketkeeper-opener, packing for a duck. Kapp’s full, inswinging delivery was a peach. Redmayne barely had time to blink before she was trapped lbw after just six balls. At 8 for 1 after 10 balls, the Spirit were wobbling, and the Invincibles’ fans were roaring, sensing a chance to take control.

Grace.
Harris.

💪

Unbelievable hitting at Lord's Cricket Ground! 🔥#TheHundred pic.twitter.com/68LHPxTwkp

— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 5, 2025

Kira Chathli, Redmayne’s opening partner, wasn’t about to let the game slip away. She came out swinging, crunching two boundaries and launching a six to race to 19 off 14 balls. Her fearless approach kept the Spirit’s hopes alive, but the Invincibles’ bowlers weren’t letting up. Sophia Smale, the young left-arm spinner, stepped up and outfoxed Chathli on the 28th ball. Caught by Paige Scholfield, Chathli’s exit left the Spirit at 40 for 2, and you could feel the tension in the air as Lord’s was on edge, wondering if the Invincibles would run through the batting order.

Then came the game’s turning point, where Cordelia Griffith and Grace Harris strode to the crease, and they changed the vibe! Griffith was all class, playing with a cool head and picking off boundaries with elegant drives and crisp cuts. She smashed six fours and a six, reaching her fifty off just 29 balls. Her partnership with Harris was pure magic, a 100-run stand that flipped the script and had the Spirit fans cheering louder with every shot. Griffith’s poise was the perfect foil for Harris’s fireworks.

And then it was about Grace Harris. She started steadily, sizing up the bowlers, then unleashed absolute carnage. Her unbeaten 89 off 42 balls was a masterclass in power-hitting, with seven fours and six massive sixes that had the crowd gasping. Her strike rate of 211.90 told the story as she was seeing the ball like a beach ball and sending it to all corners of the Lord’s. Amanda-Jade Wellington and Phoebe Franklin bore the brunt of her onslaught, struggling to find answers as Harris picked gaps and cleared the ropes with ease. By the 80th ball, the Spirit were flying at 140, though Tash Farrant briefly slowed things down by dismissing Griffith for 50, caught by Joanne Gardner.

The Invincibles clawed back late on. Farrant struck again, getting rid of Charli Knott, who scratched around for 1 off 4 before being caught by Gardner on the 91st ball. Danielle Gibson, usually a firecracker with the bat, couldn’t get going either, managing just 2 off 4 before Kapp had her caught by Lauren Winfield-Hill on the 98th ball. But Harris was unstoppable, steering the Spirit to a hefty 176 for 5 in their 100 balls. Issy Wong chipped in with an unbeaten 1 off 1, and 14 extras (9 wides, 5 leg byes) gave the total a nice little boost.

At their best! 🙇‍♀️#TheHundred pic.twitter.com/edsocdZg3u

— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 5, 2025

The Invincibles’ bowlers had their moments but struggled to contain the Spirit’s firepower. Kapp was the pick, finishing with 2 for 23 off her 20 balls. Her economy of 1.15 runs per ball was unreal. Farrant grabbed two wickets but went for 39 runs in her 20 balls, a bit pricey. Ryana MacDonald-Gay kept things tight, conceding just 20 runs in her 20 balls without a wicket, while Smale’s one wicket cost her 27 runs. Wellington and Franklin, though, took a beating, leaking 38 and 24 runs respectively, as Harris made them pay for every loose ball. The Spirit’s powerplay (balls 1-25) produced 31 runs for one wicket, setting the stage for their big total.

Oval Invincibles Women Innings

Chasing 177 was always going to be a tall order, and the Invincibles’ hopes took a hit right away. Tara Norris, the Spirit’s seamer, came out firing and trapped captain Lauren Winfield-Hill lbw for a two-ball duck on the second ball. Norris was on fire, giving away just 3 runs in her 10 balls and setting a suffocating tone. At 0 for 1, the Invincibles were in trouble, and the Spirit’s bowlers smelled blood.

A lot of love for Oval Invincibles in the London derby! 🩵#TheHundred pic.twitter.com/vDBKHqSQlq

— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 5, 2025

Enter Meg Lanning and Alice Capsey, tasked with rebuilding the innings. Capsey went for it, smashing three fours and a six in a breezy 22 off 13 balls. She was looking dangerous, but Sarah Glenn’s spin stopped her in her tracks on the 29th ball, trapping her lbw to leave the Invincibles at 37 for 2. The early wickets had the crowd on edge, but Lanning, cool as ever, kept the chase alive. Lanning found a partner in Marizanne Kapp, and together they put on a 77-run stand for the third wicket that gave the Invincibles a fighting chance.

Lanning was pure class, stroking seven fours and five sixes in her 85 off 51 balls. She reached her fifty off 39 balls, picking gaps with surgical precision and timing the ball like a dream. Kapp played the perfect support act, scoring 33 off 21 with three fours and a six. By the strategic timeout at 70 balls, the Invincibles were 105 for 2, with Lanning on 49 and Kapp on 27. They hit 50 in 42 balls and 100 in 69 balls, keeping the required run rate just about manageable.

But the Spirit weren’t done. Issy Wong turned the game on its head, bowling Kapp on the 77th ball with a cracker of a delivery. That wicket left the Invincibles needing 63 off 23 balls, a tough task. Lanning kept fighting, guiding her team past 150 in 90 balls, but the run rate was creeping up. Wong struck the killer blow on the 93rd ball, getting Lanning caught by Danielle Gibson for 85. That was the moment the chase felt out of reach, with the required rate ballooning past 2 runs per ball.

Paige Scholfield (10 not out off 9) and Joanne Gardner (2 not out off 4) gave it a go, but the mountain was too steep. The Invincibles finished at 159 for 4 in their 100 balls, 17 runs shy of the target. They picked up 7 extras (5 leg byes, 2 wides), but early wickets and a fading momentum in the final overs cost them. Their powerplay (balls 1–25) mirrored the Spirit’s, with 31 runs for one wicket, but they couldn’t match the Spirit’s middle-overs firepower.

A HUGE London Spirit win over Oval Invincibles to kick off #TheHundred! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/pYEK0pXw9Y

— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 5, 2025

The Spirit’s bowlers were brilliant as a unit. Norris’s 1 for 3 in 10 balls set the tone, while Wong’s 2 for 26, including the huge scalps of Kapp and Lanning, was match-defining. Sarah Glenn chipped in with 1 for 28, and Charlie Dean kept things tight, conceding 34 runs in her 20 balls. Eva Gray was the priciest, going for 43 runs, but Charli Knott’s 15 balls for 20 runs helped keep the pressure on. The Spirit’s attack made sure the Invincibles couldn’t keep up with the 1.77 runs per ball needed.

TCNI’s Magic Moment of the Game

Grace Harris’s unbeaten 89 off 42 balls was the TCNI Magic Moment of the Game, and it’s not hard to see why. Coming in after Georgia Redmayne’s duck and Kira Chathli’s 19 off 14, Harris turned the game on its head.

You've been treated at Lord's Cricket Ground to a Grace Harris show! 🍿#TheHundred pic.twitter.com/mOb8cCL6Ot

— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 5, 2025

Her knock, with seven fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 211.90, was pure box office. She and Cordelia Griffith (50 off 29) put on a 100-run stand that took the Spirit to 140, and even as wickets fell, Knott (1 off 4) and Gibson (2 off 4), Harris kept smashing it, guiding her team to 176 for 5. It was the kind of innings that makes you love cricket.

TCNI’s Hero of the Day

Meg Lanning was the TCNI Hero of the Day for her sensational 85 off 51 balls in the Invincibles’ chase. With seven fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 166.66, she kept her team in the hunt despite early blows like Lauren Winfield-Hill’s duck and Alice Capsey’s 22 off 13.

📹 Treat yourself to a Meg Lanning 6️⃣!#TheHundred pic.twitter.com/WXpUeImTbO

— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 5, 2025

Her 77-run stand with Marizanne Kapp (33 off 21) was a masterclass, but the Spirit’s bowlers, led by Issy Wong (2 for 26) and Tara Norris (1 for 3), proved too much. Lanning’s fight until the 93rd ball, when she was caught by Gibson, was heroic, even if it wasn’t enough.