A superb century from Grace Scrivens ensured Sunrisers continued their strong start to the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy season with a five-wicket victory over Central Sparks at Kidderminster.
Batting first, Sparks lost both their openers for ducks and only partially recovered to post a modest 213 all out, thanks largely to Abi Freeborn's fine 93. Only Freeborn lasted long enough against a disciplined attack led by openers Kate Coppack (3 for 26) and Nicola Hancock (3 for 34).
It looked an under-par total on a decent batting pitch and Scrivens steered Sunrisers' chase to perfection, hitting an unbeaten 118 from 123 balls to take her side to 214 for 5 with 10.2 overs to spare.
A third win in four matches cemented Sunrisers' place at the top of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy standings, while Central Sparks will be looking for a new lease of life after three successive defeats following their opening win.
Sparks captain Eve Jones had a tough start to the day, losing the toss at 10am. At 10.30, she edged the first ball of the match, an absolute beauty from Coppack, to wicketkeeper Amara Carr.
When Chloe Brewer edged Coppack behind, both Sparks openers had been dismissed without scoring and debutant Courtney Webb came in to bat with the score 1 for 2. The pressure on the batsmen remained high - Coppack opened with 5-2-8-2 and Hancock 5-1-6-0 - but Freeborn and Webb withstood it, adding 67 in 20 overs before the latter miscued a straight drive and was caught by Scrivens in front of the crease.
Freeborn reached her second half-century of the season from 99 balls, but partners continued to come and go as Davina Perrin and Katie George were caught by Jo Gardner in successive overs.
Freeborn was fortunate - on 69 she should have been out twice to the same ball from Gardner, stumped at one end then run out at the other as she tried to scramble a bye - but batted with selective assertiveness. The 27-year-old struck 12 fours and was seven short of her century against Sunrisers last season when she top-edged a pull and fell to a fantastic diving catch by Mady Villiers.
Bethan Ellis provided some impetus with a 35-ball 31, including the only six of the innings, but Coppack and Hancock returned to chop off the tail, aided by more excellent catching.
When Sunrisers responded, the catching bar was raised further by George's brilliant one-handed grab at second slip off Grace Potts, as Ariana Dowse became the third opener of the day to fall for a duck.
The fourth opener, however, filled her boots. Rescued on 22 when wicketkeeper Freeborn had a difficult edge off Grace Potts, Scrivens played with the freedom and confidence of a batsman in top form. She reached 50 off 53 balls and celebrated by lifting Ria Fackrell over long-on for six.
Scrivens and Cordelia Griffith (37) added 110 in 19 overs before Fackrell struck twice to keep the Sparks in the game. Griffith hit a full toss straight to the fielder and Jodi Grewcock fell lbw, sweeping. When George took another fine catch at midwicket off Ellis to end Villiers' counter-attack, the score was 149 for 4 and Sparks had a glimmer of hope.
That glimmer was emphatically extinguished by Scrivens and Carr (26), the former reaching her century off 108 balls in a winning fifth-wicket partnership of 59 in nine overs.