Trent Rockets defeat by Southern Brave puts final spot in jeopardy

Trent Rockets were defeated by Southern Brave in the men's Hundred, losing by one run after failing to defend their total of 158-5 at Trent Bridge. Tristan Stubbs steered the Brave to victory with an unbeaten 52 from 28 balls, securing the win with three balls to spare, despite the Brave already being eliminated from contention. A 70-run partnership between Stubbs and Marcus Stoinis proved decisive. Stoinis contributed 46 from 25 balls before being dismissed by Ben Sanderson. With eight runs required from the final five balls, Stubbs and Nikhil Chaudhary completed the chase, with Stubbs hitting a six off Lewis Gregory to seal the result. For the Rockets, Mitchell Santner top-scored with an unbeaten 35 from 23 balls, sharing a 66-run partnership with Gregory, who added 28. Brave captain Chris Jordan dismissed Finn Allen for 23 with a yorker, and the bowling duties were shared across the team. The Rockets' path to the final now rests on Tuesday's match between Leeds Superchargers and Manchester Originals at Old Trafford. The Superchargers, currently four points behind the Rockets, could overtake them with a win. If both teams finish on 24 points, net run rate will decide the standings, where the Superchargers hold an advantage of 1.094 compared to the Rockets' 0.740. In the women's competition, the winner of the 15:00 BST match will secure a place in the eliminator against Southern Brave, while a draw or no result would see Manchester Originals progress. In the men's 18:30 BST match, the Superchargers need a win to secure a playoff spot, while the Originals require a victory to maintain their hopes of finishing in the top three.