Prendergast, Graham lead Welsh Fire to clinical win over Manchester

Welsh Fire did their chances of qualification no harm at all at Emirates Old Trafford as their bowlers inspired them to a three-wicket win over Manchester Super Giants. Fire's attack restricted the Super Giants to just 85 for 9, and that despite 14 coming off the last six balls. Nervously chasing the target, they crossed the finish line with nine balls left. The result means that there are only two points between the teams in third and fourth, with the Super Giants ahead thanks to the points from their washed-out game against Birmingham Phoenix. Ireland's Orla Prendergast, signed by Fire as a replacement for injured captain Sophie Devine, was the star, showing her worth with the best figures in the women's Hundred this season. Her 4 for 18 included the dismissals of three of the Super Giants' top four in the first 15 balls. Paige Scholfield and Smriti Mandhana, who had imperiously hit Grace Potts for six off the fourth ball of the innings, followed before the home side had reached 40 and it was damage limitation from there on. Sophia Smale conceded just nine runs from her 20 balls, Georgia Wareham 13, and Heather Graham took 2 for 19, all five bowlers keeping their discipline impressively once they had got on top. Only three late boundaries from Ryana MacDonald-Gay (18 not out) gave the Super Giants a glimmer in a disappointing showing from the home side. Fire's captain Wareham, who has won two in two since stepping in for the Devine, was delighted with her bowlers, having won the toss and elected to field, and her batters just about controlled the chase. Tournament leading run-scorer Georgia Voll and Sarah Bryce started steadily with no real scoreboard pressure, and when they went, both for 16, Wareham came in and hit three fours in her first six balls to ease the nerves. She lost Freya Kemp and Prendergast to successive Ecclestone deliveries and then succumbed herself to the England left-arm spinner, Meg Lanning taking her third catch. When Grace Thompson was run out and Niamh Holland bowled second ball by Kathryn Bryce, the game was in the balance. But in came Rhianna Southby, who had earlier been excellent with the gloves, to strike two boundaries and Graham followed suit, hitting the winning runs for the second match in a row. Wareham said: "There's a lot of help out there for me as captain. Meg [Lanning] sure knows how to squeeze a game and try and make it as hard as possible, and we had a few brain-fades from our batters, but forced by them. "Meg is so clever with that. We'll take what we need and not dwell on it too much. The crowd and the atmosphere were awesome."