Fire inflict first defeat on leaders Brave
Welsh Fire handed Southern Brave their first defeat of this season's Hundred women's competition, winning by four wickets in a tight finish at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. Brave had won their opening five matches to lead the table, but this result ends their unbeaten run and shows the chasing pack that they can be beaten, adding fresh competitiveness to the tournament.
Chasing 122 to win, Fire slipped to 70-5 after Brave spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman took 3-27, removing both openers and Freya Kemp, while stand-in captain Georgia Wareham also fell cheaply. However, Heather Graham, who also took two wickets earlier, steadied the innings with an unbeaten 35 to see her side home off the final ball. Earlier, Brave had posted 121-5 thanks to Laura Wolvaardt's 48, after a 49-run partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues (25) helped repair an early collapse.
- Welsh Fire beat Southern Brave by four wickets in a dramatic finish
- Brave suffer first defeat after winning their opening five matches
- Heather Graham's unbeaten 35 sealed victory for Fire at Sophia Gardens
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The Hundred is a professional cricket competition in which teams play a 100-ball innings each. The women’s tournament features teams from across England and Wales, with results shaping the league table and the race for the title.
Welsh Fire are based in Cardiff, while Southern Brave represent the south coast of England. Their players include international cricketers, and teams compete to score more runs than their opponents while taking wickets to limit the other side’s total.
A team’s place near the top of the table can affect its route to the knockout stages. An unbeaten run can make a side look dominant, while a defeat can tighten the competition among teams chasing the leading positions.