Northern Superchargers defeated Welsh Fire 201 to 130 in The Hundred on Sunday, extending their advantage over the visitors in the standings. The hosts moved to 20 points from eight games, four ahead of Welsh Fire who remain fifth after four wins and four defeats.
And here's the thing about a scoreline like that — it doesn't happen by accident. Northern had been inconsistent, losing to Trent Rockets and Southall Brave in their last five, but they found their rhythm against a Welsh side that had scraped past Southern Brave 116-115 just days earlier.
By then, Northern were already on a good run of sorts, having seen off Birmingham 169-124 and London Spirit 241-204. The difference today was stark, and Welsh Fire found no answer to the pace and power on show.
To be fair, Welsh Fire had shown grit in narrow victories — 138-137 against Birmingham, 116-115 over Southern Brave — but this was a different proposition entirely. They simply could not contain the hosts' firepower.
The gap between the sides now sits at four points, with Northern three places above Welsh Fire in the table. That margin feels comfortable, though cricket has a habit of turning things around.