Welsh Fire Men Secure Victory
Welsh Fire men’s team opened their 2026 Hundred season with a six-wicket win over Southern Brave at Utilita Bowl in Southampton. Captain Phil Salt played a significant role, remaining unbeaten with 47 runs.
Salt, who previously played five seasons with Manchester Originals, is the competition’s all-time leading scorer. He has accumulated 1,138 runs in The Hundred. As the new captain for Welsh Fire, Salt aims to lead the team to their first title, following their last-place finish in both the men’s and women’s tables last season.
Chasing a target of 136 runs, Salt initially supported fellow opener Matt Short, who scored a quick 20 runs. Salt then built partnerships with Joe Root, contributing 14 runs, and Rachin Ravindra, who added 24 runs. The match concluded with Asa Tribe hitting a four, followed by Salt securing the victory with a six two balls later, needing nine runs from the final five balls.
Earlier in the game, Southern Brave batted first and saw openers Jamie Smith and Ben McKinney dismissed for single-digit scores. However, Thomas Rew, at 18 years old, 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. The Brave ultimately posted 135-7.
Welsh Fire‘s bowling attack was led by Marco Jansen, who recorded figures of 2-17, effectively limiting the Brave‘s scoring opportunities throughout much of their innings.
Southern Brave Women Triumph in Close Contest
In the women’s competition, Southern Brave Women secured an eight-run comeback victory against Welsh Fire Women, also at Utilita Bowl. Brave captain Sophie Molineux was a key performer, taking three wickets.
Southern Brave, who were finalists in the 2025 Hundred, set Welsh Fire a target of 127 runs. Laura Wolvaardt was a standout batter for the Brave, scoring an unbeaten 45 runs from 36 deliveries. For Welsh Fire, Heather Graham delivered an impressive bowling performance, taking 4-19.
Welsh Fire initially took control of their chase, largely due to a strong innings from Georgia Voll, who scored 52 runs from 39 deliveries. Freya Kemp further extended Fire‘s advantage by adding 39 runs before being run out by a direct hit from Jemimah Rodrigues.
Despite Rodrigues‘ moment of brilliance, Southern Brave‘s fielding was inconsistent, with seven catches dropped, including one opportunity involving Georgia Voll. Molineux, who also scored 22 runs from 16 balls in the first innings, acknowledged the dropped catches, stating that such occurrences happen early in the season and the team would move past them.
With Welsh Fire at 80-2 and 41 balls remaining, they appeared to be in a commanding position. However, Molineux, alongside England fast bowler Lauren Bell, rallied her team. Bell described dismissing Sophie Devine as a critical turning point in the match. Molineux had already taken Ella McCaughan‘s wicket before dismissing Devine, who clipped a shot to Lizelle Lee behind the stumps.
Following Devine‘s dismissal, wickets began to fall rapidly for Welsh Fire. Tilly Corteen-Coleman ended Voll‘s innings, with the Australian batter clipping the ball to Maia Bouchier. Three deliveries later, Issy Wong caught Georgia Wareham off a delivery from Lauren Bell. Bell then took her second wicket by 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, ultimately restricting Welsh Fire to 118 runs in their innings. Bell expressed her disbelief at the team’s comeback, noting that getting one wicket led to another, showcasing their resilience.
Upcoming Fixtures
The next day, London Spirit is scheduled to play Manchester Super Giants at Lord’s. The women’s game will commence at 14:45 BST, followed by the men’s match at 18:30 BST.
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Source: bbc.co.uk
Daniel Fairbrother is the Senior Football Correspondent at Latest News UK, covering the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side with over a decade of reporting experience. He spent eight years on the football desk of a Yorkshire daily before moving into national coverage. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from the University of Sunderland and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Leeds, he watches non-league football and runs a five-a-side league. “The best football stories are won in the week, not on the whistle.”