England 291 (Dunkley 119, Gibson 42, Murray 4-56) beat Ireland 177 (Hunter 39, Filer 3-27, Villiers 3-33) by 114 runs
Dunkley’s international career-best of 119, her second ton in ODIs, put England on track for a big total, but they were bowled out for 291 with seven balls left in their innings, thanks largely to Cara Murray‘s 4 for 56. Murray, the leading wicket-taker for the series, took 3 for 6 runs in the space of seven balls and two catches as England collapsed from 260 for 4.Ireland’s batters never looked like threatening to overhaul the target after a sedate start while seamer Lauren Filer and off-spinner Mady Villiers split six wickets between them to help bowl the visitors out 115 runs short with 5.4 overs remaining.
Filer, back in the side with Issy Wong rested following her five-wicket haul in the previous match, made early inroads with the cheap wicket of Ireland captain Gaby Lewis and finished with 3 for 27. Villiers removed Amy Hunter, Ireland’s best batter in this series, and the dangerous allrounder Orla Prendergast on her way to 3 for 33.
Dunkley and Maia Bouchier, who had combined for a 143-run stand in the opening match, made a sedate start as Arlene Kelly – playing her final professional match before retiring – and Prendergast restricted them to just 14 runs from the first four overs. But then Bouchier unleashed three fours in five balls from Prendergast, and Dunkley struck two in three deliveries off Prendergast’s next over.
After 10 overs, England were 61 without loss and looking very comfortable. Bouchier fell for 39 off 35 balls at the end of the 12th via a leading edge off Kia McCartney straight to cover, ending a 73-run union but Dunkley remained in control.
Lauren Filer struck with the short ball•David Davies/David Davies/PA Images via Getty Images
She dominated a 110-run stand off 111 balls with No. 3 Jodi Grewcock, moving to 99 by punishing a Louise Little short ball behind square leg and raising her hundred next ball with a single down the ground.
Alice Capsey was run out when Dunkley struck a McCartney delivery firmly back towards the bowler, who got a fingertip to the ball before it clattered into the stumps at the non-striker’s end with Capsey short of her ground.
Dunkley picked out Prendergast just inside the boundary at deep midwicket off Lara McBride to end her innings before she would have liked, but after setting an excellent platform for her team.
Dani Gibson and Freya Kemp added 46 runs for the fifth wicket but from there, things fell away for the home side. Kemp sent a Murray back down the ground, where Ireland skipper Lewis did well to take it and hold her footing just inside the rope. No sooner had Charlie Dean dispatched a Murray full toss for four than she sent the faintest of edges behind and Villiers fell in Murray’s next over, holing out to deep midwicket.
Murray took a straightforward catch in the deep to remove Ryana MacDonald-Gay and give Kelly a wicket in her swansong. When Gibson was run out for 42, Filer and Tilly Corteen-Coleman had two overs left to negotiate, but Filer top-edged Prendergast to the keeper.
At the end of the powerplay, Ireland were 34 for 1 after Lewis had sent a Filer short ball to fine leg for just 16. Hunter and Alice Tector dug in for a second-wicket partnership worth 56 off 89 balls but when Tector was bowled by Corteen-Coleman with a beauty of an arm ball that ripped out off stump, Ireland crawled towards the halfway point and were 101 for 2 in the 25th over.
Villiers claimed her first when she drew Hunter into an attempted muscle shot which failed to connect and Capsey whipped off the bails with the batter well out of her crease.
Capsey was involved in another stumping when Rebecca Stokell advanced at a short ball from Ryana MacDonald-Gay and was wrong-footed as the keeper pulled the ball down from overhead and broke the stumps.
Villiers had her second when Prendergast top-edged to Bouchier at deep midwicket and from there, a steady stream of wickets drew England towards victory, Filer bowling McCartney with a pinpoint yorker a ball after rearranging her stumps on a free hit to wrap it up.
Valkerie Baynes is a general editor, women’s cricket, at Cricinfo