England Chased 282 Against Ireland With Seventy-One Balls to Spare and Maia Bouchier Made a Hundred Off Ninety-Five
Ireland made 281 for five at Grace Road on Tuesday and England knocked it off in 38.1 overs, their highest successful chase in women's one-day internationals.
England beat Ireland by six wickets at Grace Road in Leicester on Tuesday, chasing 282 in 38.1 overs for their highest successful run chase in a women's one-day international.
England won the toss and bowled. Ireland made 281 for five from their fifty overs, which on most days against a full-strength England side would be enough to make a game of it. Gaby Lewis made 69 from 89 balls and Amy Hunter 62 from 90, the pair adding 136 for the second wicket. Rebecca Stokell hit 54 from 48 with seven fours. Charlie Dean took two for 44 and Issy Wong two for 57, each from ten overs, and Mady Villiers one for 46 from eight.
The chase was effectively over inside the first hour. Maia Bouchier and Sophia Dunkley put on 143 for the opening wicket. Bouchier made 104 from 95 balls with eleven fours and was named player of the match. Dunkley made 73 from 61 with thirteen. Freya Kemp then hit 36 from 22 with seven fours, and Alice Capsey finished 41 not out from 40 and struck the winning boundary. Capsey and Kemp added 54 from 38 balls. England finished on 283 for four with 71 balls unused.
Cara Murray was the only Ireland bowler to trouble anyone, taking three for 58 from nine overs.
The margin is the story rather than the result. Ireland posted a total that was competitive by any recent measure of the fixture and lost by six wickets with almost twelve overs in hand, which is a gap in depth rather than in form. England's top four all scored at better than a run a ball, and the innings never required a partnership to rebuild.
This was the first of three one-day internationals on Ireland's tour of England. The second is at Derby on Thursday.