Southampton: Southern Brave women secure comeback victory against Welsh Fire

By Karan Malhotra — 22 July 2026 — 4 min read

Brave’s Dramatic Turnaround

The Southern Brave women’s team commenced their Hundred campaign with a hard-fought eight-run victory over Welsh Fire in Southampton. The match, held at Utilita Bowl, saw Southern Brave stage a remarkable comeback after initially struggling against a strong Welsh Fire performance. This win marks a positive start for a team that has reached four of the five finals in the competition’s history and secured a championship title in 2023.

Welsh Fire appeared poised for a comfortable win, having reached 109-3 while chasing 127 runs. Opener Georgia Voll was a key player for Fire, remaining unbeaten on a half-century and demonstrating good form. However, the momentum shifted dramatically when 18-year-old left-arm spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman dismissed Voll for 52 runs. This wicket triggered a collapse for the visitors, who subsequently lost five wickets for just six runs within 14 balls.

The Southern Brave bowling attack capitalized on this opportunity. Lauren Bell followed up by taking the wickets of Georgia Wareham and Em Arlott in the subsequent set of balls. Captain Sophie Molineux played a crucial role, finishing with figures of 3-14, which included the significant wicket of her opposing captain, Sophie Devine, ultimately guiding her team to victory.

Innings Overview and Key Performances

Earlier in the match, a victory for Southern Brave seemed unlikely, partly due to a series of dropped catches during their fielding, including one opportunity involving Voll during Bell’s opening set. After being sent in to bat first, Southern Brave struggled to build on the foundation laid by opener Lizelle Lee, who scored 30 runs from 26 deliveries.

South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt anchored the Brave’s innings with an unbeaten 45 runs. Despite her efforts, Heather Graham’s bowling performance for Welsh Fire, with figures of 4-19, prevented the home side’s innings from gaining significant momentum, resulting in a total of 126-7.

Welsh Fire had made substantial investments in their squad, including a joint-high fee of £210,000 for Devine in the auction. This was part of their strategy to improve their performance after finishing at the bottom of the table last season with only one victory. The team will be looking to recover quickly from this opening defeat.

Members of all eight Hundred franchises posing Credit: bbc.com

Upcoming Fixtures and Broadcast Information

Looking ahead in the Hundred competition, London Spirit is scheduled to face 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. Cricket enthusiasts can follow ball-by-ball commentary for these matches.

The Hundred women’s match between Southern Brave and Welsh Fire was played on Wednesday, July 22, with the women’s match starting at 3pm and the men’s match at 6pm. The event was televised on BBC Two and Sky Sports Cricket. The Rose Bowl served as the venue for this encounter.

The Southern Brave women’s team had an impressive record last season, winning all eight league fixtures before their loss to Northern Superchargers in the final. For the current season opener, they were favored with odds of 4-6 to secure a victory against Welsh Fire. Welsh Fire’s England all-rounder Freya Kemp was highlighted as a potential top run-scorer for her side, having previously scored an unbeaten 44 from 28 balls in England’s T20 World Cup final defeat to Australia, and 39 not out off 16 deliveries against Scotland in the group stage.

The Hundred men’s competition also featured a match between Southern Brave Men and Welsh Fire Men. Historically, Welsh Fire Men have struggled against Southern Brave, losing eight of their nine previous meetings. However, Welsh Fire, who also finished last in the standings last summer, have assembled a strong squad for the current season, led by England T20 opener Phil Salt. The team also includes Joe Root, who recently made unbeaten scores of 76, 99, and 74 in England’s ODI series against India, and Jordan Cox, who was the leading run-scorer in the Hundred last season. South Africa paceman Marco Jansen is another notable signing for Welsh Fire, aiming to challenge a Southern Brave side whose influential skipper James Vince moved to MI London. The women’s game on Thursday is scheduled to start at 14:45 BST.