Rockets beat MI London to reach knockouts as Super Giants eliminate Brave

The Hundred men's competition, The Oval

MI London 147-7 (100 balls): S Curran 72 (46); Gregory 2-32

Trent Rockets 148-4 (90 balls): Santner 52* (23); Gleeson 2-27

Trent Rockets won by six wickets

Scorecard. Table

Trent Rockets booked their place in the knockout stages of the men's Hundred with a six-wicket victory against MI London at The Oval.

Rockets' sixth win in seven matches guarantees them a top-three finish as they moved to 24 points at the top - eight more than the quartet of Sunrisers Leeds, Welsh Fire, MI London and Manchester Super Giants.

Rockets made a shaky start chasing 148 as Finn Allen fell to Tom Curran before Aneurin Donald and Sam Billings also departed, leaving them 46-3 after 30 balls.

Ben Duckett made 27 from 26 balls before he was dismissed by Richard Gleeson halfway through the innings, but Tim David and Mitchell Santner took full advantage of dropped catches - by Sam Curran and Sherfane Rutherford respectively - to steer their side to a sixth consecutive win.

David finished unbeaten on 32, while New Zealand white-ball captain Santner raced to his maiden Hundred half-century from 21 deliveries and struck the winning runs with 10 balls to spare - sealing Rockets' first victory at the Oval in the competition.

Earlier, after being sent out to bat first, MI London made a rapid start, with the in-form Will Jacks, who had three fifties in four matches, looking in ominous touch again - but two brilliant pieces of fielding halted their early momentum.

First, David produced a superb catch running backwards to remove James Vince, before Duckett's pinpoint direct hit while on the floor ran out Nicholas Pooran two balls later to leave the home side reeling at 35-2.

Jacks and captain Sam Curran then undertook a rebuilding job before the opener departed for 39, courtesy of a stunning reflex return catch by leg-spinner Calvin Harrison.

Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals for the hosts, but Sam Curran brought up a 30-ball half-century - finishing with 72 off 46 balls including four fours and five sixes.

He was dismissed on the final ball of the innings as MI London posted 147-7.

The Hundred men's competition, Utilita Bowl

Manchester Super Giants 149-8 (100 balls): Walter 64 (32); Rashid 2-17

Southern Brave 139-6 (100 balls): Stubbs 53* (38); Atkinson 2-19

Manchester Super Giants won by 10 runs

Scorecard. Table

Southern Brave's hopes of reaching the knockout stages are over after they suffered a 10-run defeat by Manchester Super Giants at Southampton.

Super Giants moved level on 16 points with Sunrisers Leeds, MI London and Welsh Fire with the four teams now set to battle for the final two knockout spots after Trent Rockets became the first side through earlier in the day.

Batting first, Super Giants openers Tim Seifert and Paul Walter had given the visitors a perfect platform to build an imposing total.

Walter, playing only his second match of the competition after Aiden Markram withdrew for personal reasons, set the tone early by striking three boundaries from the second set bowled by Luke Wood.

The Essex all-rounder raced to his half-century in 26 balls and Seifert also reached the mark not much later - his third fifty of the season coming from 30 deliveries as Super Giants reached 119 without loss after 62 balls.

But a dramatic collapse ensued after Walter skied Nikhil Chaudhary to Chris Jordan to fall for 64 as the visitors lost eight wickets for just 30 runs in 37 balls and slumped to finish on 149-8.

In their reply, Brave lost opener Michael Pepper for a duck but Jamie Smith and Tristan Stubbs added 54 for the second wicket albeit at a slow rate.

Smith laboured to 26 from 25 balls before departing and Moeen Ali followed suit without scoring.

Stubbs, however, carried on and reached his half-century in 37 balls but Brave still required 37 from the final 10 balls to keep their faint knockout hopes alive.

Josh Tongue went for 19 in the penultimate set with Choudhary adding 14 to take the game to the final five balls but the target ultimately proved beyond Brave - the winners of the inaugural edition.