Welsh Fire defeated Southern Brave by six wickets in the Hundred opener in Southampton. Captain Phil Salt led the Fire to victory with an unbeaten 47 runs.
Welsh Fire Men Secure Victory
Welsh Fire began their 2026 Hundred season with a six-wicket win against Southern Brave in Southampton. Captain Phil Salt played a crucial role, scoring an unbeaten 47 runs from 37 balls to lead his team to victory. The Fire successfully chased Brave’s total of 135 runs for 7 wickets, reaching 138 runs for 4 wickets with two balls remaining.
Salt, who is the all-time leading scorer in The Hundred with 1,138 runs across five seasons, joined Fire as captain for this year’s competition. His aim is to guide the Welsh franchise to their first title, after they finished at the bottom of both the men’s and women’s tables last season.
During the chase, Salt initially played a supporting role as fellow opener Matt Short contributed a quick 20 runs. Salt then built partnerships with Joe Root, who scored 14 runs, and Rachin Ravindra, who added 24 runs. With 9 runs needed from the final five balls, Asa Tribe hit a boundary off Brave captain Chris Jordan’s first delivery, before Salt secured the win with a six two balls later.
The Brave’s innings saw openers Jamie Smith and Ben McKinney dismissed for single figures. However, 18-year-old Thomas Rew helped rebuild their total with a rapid 41 runs from 30 balls. David Miller also contributed significantly, finishing with 44 runs from 35 balls, despite a slow start. He was dismissed on the penultimate delivery, setting a target of 135 runs for 7 wickets.
The Fire bowlers maintained control for much of the innings. Marco Jansen was particularly effective, taking 2 wickets for 17 runs. Nikhil Chaudhary also picked up 2 wickets for 19 runs from 15 balls. Short, in addition to his batting contribution, bowled economically, taking 1 wicket for 5 runs from 10 balls.
Southern Brave Women Secure Opening Win
In the women’s competition, Southern Brave secured an eight-run victory over Welsh Fire. Sophie Molineux, captaining Brave for the first time, earned player of the match honours for her performance. The match, held at the Rose Bowl, saw Brave successfully defend their total of 126 runs.
Fire were in a strong position during their chase, reaching 1-80 from 58 balls. However, a direct hit from Jemimah Rodrigues resulted in the run-out of Freya Kemp for 39 runs, providing an opening for Brave. Georgia Voll was dismissed for 52 runs, and wickets then fell quickly.
Molineux was instrumental with the ball, taking 3 wickets for 14 runs from 20 balls. Lauren Bell and Tilly Corteen-Coleman each contributed with 2 wickets. These bowling efforts restricted Fire to 8-118.
Earlier in the Brave’s innings, Laura Wolvaardt scored an unbeaten 45 runs from 36 balls, while Lizelle Lee added 31 runs. Molineux also contributed with the bat, scoring 22 runs before being stumped. Despite Heather Graham’s four-wicket haul for Fire, which proved to be in vain, Brave secured the win.
Molineux expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, highlighting the strong bowling effort, particularly from Lauren Bell at the end of the match. She noted the depth of their bowling unit. Brave were tournament winners in 2023 and semi-finalists last year.
Looking ahead, London Spirit will face Manchester Super Giants at Lord’s on Thursday. The women’s game is scheduled to start at 14:45 BST, followed by the men’s game at 18:30 BST.
Read Also
Source: bbc.com
