IRELAND captain Gaby Lewis helped Lancashire to the Metro Bank Cup yesterday, the premier England women’s one-day competition.

The Phoenix batter made an unbeaten 141 off 143 balls as her side chased 289 in the final against Hampshire at The Rose Bowl.

It was the sixth highest run-chase in more than 50 years of women’s 50-over cricket in England, and all those greater than it occurred this year – a sure sign of rapid developments in the women’s game.

Lewis’s innings was immaculate, perfectly pacing and finding the boundary 16 times all around the ground.

Her first fifty came off 51 balls and it took a further 70 balls to reach the century.

‘What a game!’ she said as she came off the field. ‘I was just delighted to be there at the end.’

It was the Dubliner’s career best total, the highest of her eight centuries in all formats.

She becomes the fifth Irish woman to score a century in overseas competitions after Mary Pat Moore (Yorkshire), Eimear Richardson (Central Districts, NZ), Arlene Kelly (Auckland) and Orla Prendergast (Western Storm).

It’s also the second highest innings by an Irish player in any cricket, behind only Prendergast’s 159no for the Dragons v Typhoons last summer in the Evoke Super Series.