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Trent Bridge, The Hundred Men’s Competition

Manchester Originals 98-8 (100 balls): Gregory 33* (21), Willey 3-11

Trent Rockets 101-3 (74 balls): Ahmed 45* (35), Moores 22* (13)

Seven wickets separated the Trent Rockets.

Trent Rockets defeated Manchester Originals at Trent Bridge to record a seven-wicket victory with Rehan Ahmed.

With 26 balls left, Ahmed and Rockets skipper David Willey ripped through the top order with a 2-11 inning and scored an unbeaten 45 to make their subpar target of 99 with the help of Ahmed’s 2-14 bowling effort.

On a slow, sluggish surface, Willey set up the opener, who was pinned for a duck from the fourth ball of the innings before Jos Buttler, who had previously led England in white ball, was caught behind for 19 and New Zealand international Rachin Ravindra was dismissed in the same manner on the first ball.

The destructive Heinrich Klaasen holed out for nine from 16 balls before Ahmed put an end to any hope of an Originals revival.

Only Lewis Gregory’s unbeaten 33 from 21 balls against the Originals, and the Rockets made the most of the chase for a welcome net run-rate boost that keeps the table Oval Invincibles in check.

One of the few instances in which the Originals were completely outplayed saw Root misjudge a scoop and get caught behind for four, Baton was lbw to Ravindra for 11 and Max Holden fell for a spectacular one-handed catch by Salt.

With only seven more innings to go, Ahmed received a reprieve when he was dismissed on 39 by a Noor Ahmad no-ball, but fittingly, the all-rounder struck the winning boundary with a 40-run partnership with Tom Moores, who scored 22 not out of 13.

Although Salt, Buttler, and Klaasen are among the most powerful top orders, Manchester Originals’ particular surface did not appeal to their trademark aggression or innovation.

Willey, who had the star of his day, deceived young McKinney by shooting the ball in at his pads before Buttler attempted a counter-attack with three fours off Lockie Ferguson, was the ideal candidate to take advantage of it.

After Buttler’s last ball of the powerplay, Willey skillfully delivered the same result to the left-handed Ravindra, but it was short-lived.

Within the first 30 balls, Willey had his 20-ball spell and was relentless with his accuracy: he hit a good line with 76% of his deliveries, while 33% were predicted to hit stumps and none were beyond the off stump.

Klaasen, one of the best spinners in the world, was doomed by the dot-ball pressure when he long-on beat Ahmed Ahmed to Sam Hain, who had been starving, and Salt picked out a deep square-leg strike to send the Originals reeling (51-6).

Despite the surface’s slow and turgid nature, Gregory somehow managed to save them by whacked four boundaries when the top six only had five.

On Wednesday, Welsh Fire will host Southern Brave, and London Spirit will host Northern Superchargers.

The games in Cardiff are at 11: 30 and 15: 00 BST, while the matches at Lord’s take place at 15: 00 and 18: 30.

Mariona Caldentey, a midfielder for Arsenal, has been named the Professional Footballers’ Association’s female player of the year, along with Olivia Smith, a new team-mate.

Emma Hayes, the USA manager, was honored with the PFA merit award for her contributions to women’s football during her glittering career with Chelsea.

After receiving her first PFA award, the Spanish midfielder said, “There is nothing better than when your opponents recognize your job.”

As a footballer, Caldentey stated to BBC Sport, “You want to win the trophies with the team and then this happens when you are successful.”

“It feels nice, but I want to win awards with the club.”

The shortlist included Chelsea’s Erin Cuthbert, Manchester United’s Phallon Tullis-Joyce, and Arsenal team-mate Alessia Russo.

Caldentey, a Spain international, won the WSL player of the year award in May, a distinction that supporters voted for.

Chelsea defeated Barcelona 1-0 in the Champions League final, with Caldentey playing the entire game, leaving Arsenal second overall in the WSL.

Smith, a forward from Canada, described it as “the first foreign player to win the award.”

Knowing that no other foreigner has won this award, she said, “This genuinely means the world to me.”

Being a role model for girls who inspire me and inspire me is both a huge honor and a huge privilege whenever I return home. This will benefit both girls and boys, I believe.

Smith, age 21, signed for the Gunners from Liverpool for £1 million, making her the most expensive signing in women’s football history.

At age 15, Smith made her international debut by joining Liverpool for a club-record fee of just over $200,000 from Portuguese side Sporting.

Before agreeing to a move to Arsenal in July, she scored nine goals in 20 games in the WSL.

Hayes is regarded as one of the game’s most influent coaches, and he was instrumental in creating the Chelsea dynasty that has helped them to rule English football for the past ten years.

The 48-year-old, who led the Blues for 12 years, has won 16 titles, including seven WSL titles and five FA Cups.

She has won two awards for Best Fifa football coach and six times for the season in the WSL.

Hayes has continued to enjoy success with the USA, winning them gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, since leaving Chelsea at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Champions League winners Arsenal, with four players included, were the WSL team of the year, which the players chose.

Along with Tullis-Joyce, Maya le Tissier, and Jayde Riviere from Manchester United, Emily Fox, Kim Little, Caldentey, and Russo were included in the starting lineup.

Millie Bright and Erin Cuthbert were inducted as Chelsea’s champions, while Hasegawa and Fowler were inducted as Manchester City’s starting lineup.

Goalkeeper:

Manchester United Phallon Tullis-Joyce

Defenders:

(Arsenal) Emily Fox

Manchester United’s Maya Le Tissier

Millie Bright (Chelsea)

Manchester United’s Jayde Riviere

Midfielders:

Manchester City’s Yui Hasegawa

Erin Cuthbert (Chelsea)

Kim Little (Arsenal)

Forwards:

Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal)

Alessia Russo (Arsenal)