Welsh Fire men’s team secures opening win
Welsh Fire began their 2026 Hundred season with a six-wicket victory over Southern Brave in Southampton. Captain Phil Salt played a key role, remaining unbeaten with 47 runs, guiding his team to chase down a target of 136 runs. The match saw Welsh Fire reach 138-4 from 98 balls, surpassing Southern Brave’s total of 135-7 from 100 balls.
Salt, who is the Hundred’s all-time leading scorer with 1,138 runs from five seasons with his former side Manchester Originals, took on the captaincy for Welsh Fire this year. His aim is to lead the Welsh franchise to their first title, following both their men’s and women’s teams finishing at the bottom of their respective tables last season.
During the chase, Salt initially supported fellow opener Matt Short, who contributed 20 runs. Salt then built partnerships with Joe Root, who scored 14 runs, and Rachin Ravindra, who added 24 runs. The game intensified as Welsh Fire needed nine runs from the final five balls. Asa Tribe hit a boundary off Brave captain Chris Jordan’s first delivery, and Salt secured the win with a six two balls later.
For Southern Brave, batting first, openers Jamie Smith and Ben McKinney were dismissed for single-figure scores. However, 18-year-old Thomas Rew helped stabilize the innings with 41 runs from 30 balls. David Miller also contributed significantly, finishing with 44 runs from 35 balls before being dismissed on the penultimate delivery, helping his team reach 135-7.
The Fire bowlers managed to control the scoring rate throughout much of the innings. Marco Jansen was a standout performer, taking 2-17. Despite Miller’s strong finish, the total proved insufficient against Welsh Fire’s chase.
Southern Brave women secure comeback victory
In the women’s competition, Southern Brave Women achieved an eight-run comeback victory against Welsh Fire Women at The Utilita Bowl. Captain Sophie Molineux was instrumental, taking three wickets and scoring 22 runs from 16 balls in the first innings. The Brave, who were finalists in the 2025 Hundred, set Welsh Fire a target of 127 runs.
Laura Wolvaardt was a key batter for Southern Brave, scoring an unbeaten 45 runs from 36 deliveries. For Welsh Fire, Heather Graham delivered an impressive bowling performance, taking 4-19. Despite this, Welsh Fire initially appeared to be in control of their chase, largely due to Georgia Voll’s innings of 52 runs from 39 deliveries.
Freya Kemp further extended Welsh Fire’s advantage with 39 runs before being run out by a direct hit from Jemimah Rodrigues. Despite this moment of brilliance, Southern Brave had some fielding difficulties, dropping seven catches, including one from Georgia Voll. Molineux acknowledged the dropped catches, stating, “Hopefully we have got the drops out of the way early.”
With Welsh Fire at 80-2 with 41 balls remaining, they seemed to be in a strong position. However, Molineux, alongside England’s Lauren Bell, rallied her team. Bell described dismissing Sophie Devine as a critical moment. Molineux dismissed Sophie Devine, who clipped the ball to Lizelle Lee behind the stumps. Wickets then began to fall rapidly for Welsh Fire.
Tilly Corteen-Coleman ended Voll’s innings, with the Australian clipping the ball to Maia Bouchier at long-on. Shortly after, Issy Wong caught Georgia Wareham off a Lauren Bell delivery. Bell then took her second wicket, knocking over Em Arlott’s stumps, leaving Fire needing 16 runs from 11 deliveries. Molineux then snared Niamh Holland, and Corteen-Coleman bowled Heather Graham, restricting Welsh Fire to 118 runs for eight wickets.
Lauren Bell expressed her surprise at the team’s ability to recover, stating, “I actually can’t believe we got back into the game.” She added that once they secured one wicket, more followed, allowing them to demonstrate their class. Bell also mentioned the initial nerves and dropped catches, but emphasized the team’s ability to be “clutch at the end.” She highlighted that getting the breakthrough with Devine’s wicket was crucial, as it allowed them to slow down Georgia Voll’s game and get back into contention. Bell noted that a victory like this provides significant confidence for tournament cricket, where a fast start is important.
Upcoming fixtures
The next matches in The Hundred will take place on Thursday at Lord’s in London. London Spirit will face Manchester Super Giants. The women’s game is scheduled to commence at 14:45 BST, followed by the men’s match at 18:30.
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Source: bbc.co.uk
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Charlie Bradshaw is the Senior Football Correspondent at News-GB, covering the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side with ten years of reporting experience. He covered Merseyside football before going national. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from Liverpool John Moores University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Liverpool, he watches non-league sides and collects old match programmes. “The back page is only ever half the story.”