England v South Africa: Sarah Taylor and Tammy Beaumont star for England

Match scores (Bristol)

England beat South Africa by 68 runs

England: 373-5 (50/50 overs. Beaumont 148, Taylor 147, Winfield 24; Kapp 3-77)

South Africa: 305-9 (50/50 overs. Lee 72, Wolvaardt 67, Tryon 54; Hazell 3-70, Knight 2-52)

Match report

Tammy Beaumont and Sarah Taylor shared a record-breaking stand of 275 as England cruised to a 68-run victory over South Africa in their Women's World Cup match in Bristol.

The pair's second-wicket partnership was the highest in World Cup history and the second highest in the history of women's one-day international competition.

It helped England reached a total of 373 for five before the South Africans took advantage of some poor fielding to reach a commendable response of 305 for nine.

But it was a day on which the strong South African attack, which had skittled the West Indies for just 48 on Sunday, came up against a far sterner test.

The loss of opener Lauren Winfield for 24 did not faze the hosts, with Beaumont and Taylor reaching 148 and 147 before being dismissed later in the innings.

Beaumont and Taylor swept a beautiful variety of shots and made it tough going in particular for South African star Shabnim Ismail, who finished with one for 89.

After losing two cheap middle-order wickets, a speedy 22 from captain Heather Knight bolstered the England score and gave the South Africans a daunting task as they began their run chase.

But they responded well with openers Lizelle Lee and 18-year-old Laura Wolvaardt putting on a first-wicket stand of 128 as they took advantage of some poor England fielding.

Lee was dropped three times en route to her impressive 72, but the pace of the South African run-chase never really raised the possibility of staging a stunning comeback win.

The respective departures of Lee and Wolvaardt - for 72 and 67 respectively - effectively spelled the end of the South African challenge, with only a solid 54 from Chloe Tryon coming close to matching the performance of the openers.

England's Danielle Hazel more-than justified her inclusion as she swept up the South African tail-end with three wickets to finish on three for 70 from her 10 overs.