The Welsh Fire men’s team secured a six-wicket victory against Southern Brave in The Hundred competition, marking a strong start to their 2026 season. Captain Phil Salt played a pivotal role, leading his side to victory with an unbeaten 47 runs in Southampton.
Salt, who is the all-time leading scorer in The Hundred with 1,138 runs from five seasons with his former team, the Manchester Originals, joined Welsh Fire as captain for this year’s competition. His goal is to guide the Welsh franchise to their first title, after both their men’s and women’s teams finished at the bottom of the table last season.
Men’s Match Highlights
Chasing a target of 136 runs, Welsh Fire saw opener Matt Short contribute a quick 20 runs early in the innings. Salt then anchored the chase, forming partnerships with Joe Root, who scored 14, and Rachin Ravindra, who added 24 runs.
The match reached a tense conclusion with nine runs needed from the final five balls. Asa Tribe hit a boundary off Brave captain Chris Jordan’s first delivery, and Salt sealed the win with a six two balls later.
Earlier in the game, Southern Brave, batting first, lost openers Jamie Smith and Ben McKinney for single-figure scores. However, 18-year-old Thomas Rew helped rebuild their innings with a rapid 41 runs off 30 balls.
The Fire bowlers, particularly Marco Jansen who finished with figures of 2-17, managed to control the scoring rate for much of the innings. David Miller, despite a slow start, finished strongly for Brave with 44 runs from 35 balls before being dismissed on the penultimate delivery, contributing to Brave’s total of 135-7.
Women’s Match Sees Brave Triumph
In the women’s competition, Southern Brave secured an eight-run victory over Welsh Fire Women. Brave captain Sophie Molineux was instrumental, taking three wickets and scoring 22 runs off 16 balls.
Southern Brave, who were finalists in The Hundred in 2025, set a target of 127 runs for Welsh Fire at The Utilita Bowl. Laura Wolvaardt was a key contributor with the bat for Brave, remaining unbeaten with 45 runs off 36 deliveries, while Fire’s Heather Graham took 4-19.
Welsh Fire initially appeared to be in control, largely due to a strong performance from Georgia Voll, who scored 52 runs from 39 balls. Freya Kemp further extended Fire’s advantage with 39 runs before being run out by a direct hit from Jemimah Rodrigues.
Despite dropping seven catches, including that of Georgia Voll, Southern Brave mounted a comeback. At one point, Welsh Fire were 80-2 with 41 balls remaining and seemed to be heading for victory. However, Molineux, alongside England’s Lauren Bell, rallied her team to restrict Fire to 118 runs for eight wickets.
Molineux dismissed Ella McCaughan and then Sophie Devine, with the latter clipping a shot to Lizelle Lee behind the stumps. Wickets then fell rapidly for Welsh Fire. Tilly Corteen-Coleman ended Voll’s innings, and 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 snared Niamh Holland, and Corteen-Coleman bowled Heather Graham, ultimately keeping Welsh Fire to 118 runs. Bell highlighted the dismissal of Devine as a critical moment, stating that getting that wicket allowed them to get back into the game.
Looking ahead, London Spirit will face Manchester Super Giants at Lord’s on Thursday. The women’s game is scheduled to begin at 14:45 BST, followed by the men’s match at 18:30.
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Source: bbc.co.uk
As News-UK's Sports News Writer, Oscar Pennington reports on rugby union, golf and boxing for readers across the country. He built a reputation for sharp explainer pieces on regional sport. He holds a degree in Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Oscar lives in Nottingham, where he follows the pro golf tour and amateur boxing. “Context is what turns a result into a story.”
