Trent Rockets saw off Oval Invincibles 125-121 in The Hundred on Friday evening, a result that keeps the visitors top of the table while the hosts remain rooted in eighth place. By then the match had already settled into something familiar — two sides trading blows until the final delivery decided it.
Oval Invincibles have not won since their opening game of the tournament, sitting on just one victory from seven outings. And here's the thing about their recent run: they have been competitive in every match, losing by narrow margins or drawing outright, yet the wins have stayed elusive.
Their last five results read like a pattern of almost-there performances: a three-run victory over London Spirit, a three-run defeat to Manchester Originals, then a draw before two more one-run losses. To be fair, the Invincibles refused to go away even when the scoreboard showed them trailing.
Trent Rockets, meanwhile, have now collected 28 points from eight matches, their sole defeat coming against London Spirit in a four-run thriller. Their recent form has been relentless — five wins in a row across competitions, including victories over Birmingham Phoenix and Northern Superchargers.
The final scoreline tells you everything about a match where neither side closed the game out until the very last over. By then, with 121 runs on the board, the Invincibles had their chance but could not quite find the boundary when it mattered most.