Southampton: Welsh Fire men secure six-wicket victory over Southern Brave

By Karan Malhotra — 23 July 2026 — 3 min read

Welsh Fire secure victory in men’s Hundred opener

Welsh Fire men’s team began their Hundred campaign with a six-wicket win against Southern Brave at Utilita Bowl, Southampton. The Fire successfully chased down the Brave‘s total of 7-135 with two balls remaining, largely thanks to a strong performance from captain Phil Salt.

Salt, who also serves as wicket-keeper, was the top scorer in the match, contributing 47 runs from 37 balls. His innings was crucial in guiding his team to victory in a closely contested match.

The Welsh Fire won the toss and elected to field first. Their bowling attack managed to restrict the Southern Brave to 7-135. Key contributions came from Marco Jansen, who claimed 2-17 from 20 balls, and Australian off-spinner Matt Short, who took 1-5 from 10 balls. Short also contributed with the bat, scoring 20 runs from 15 balls, including four boundaries.

For the Southern Brave, only David Miller (44 runs) and Thomas Rew (41 runs) made significant impacts with the bat. Australian all-rounder Nikhil Chaudhary also chipped in with 19 runs from 12 balls, featuring three fours, and took 2-19 from 15 balls with his bowling.

England bowlers Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid, playing for Southern Brave, bowled a combined 40 balls, conceding 22 runs and 18 runs respectively, without taking any wickets. Despite their economical spells, the Brave‘s total proved insufficient against the Fire‘s chase.

The Welsh Fire‘s lineup included notable players such as Joe Root, who was run out for 15 runs on his debut for the team, and Rachin Ravindra. The Southern Brave featured players like Jamie Smith and Ben McKinney. The match officials included James Middlebrook, Jack Shantry, Ian Blackwell, Dean Cosker, and Chris Watts.

Women’s team secures victory earlier in the day

Earlier in the day, the Southern Brave women’s team also secured a victory, defeating Welsh Fire by eight runs. This win was led by captain Sophie Molineux, who was named player of the match. The Brave posted a score of 126, with Laura Wolvaardt scoring an unbeaten 45 runs from 36 balls and Lizelle Lee adding 31 runs.

The Fire, in their chase, reached 1-80 for 58 balls before a run out by Jemimah Rodrigues shifted the momentum. Georgia Voll contributed 52 runs before being dismissed. Molineux was instrumental with the ball, taking 3-14 from 20 balls, supported by Lauren Bell and Tilly Corteen-Coleman, who each took two wickets. Heather Graham of Welsh Fire took four wickets, but her efforts were in vain as the Fire ended on 8-118.

The Southern Brave women’s team, who were tournament winners in 2023 and semi-finalists last year, showed their depth in bowling to secure the win in front of their home crowd. Molineux expressed satisfaction with the team’s ability to claw their way back into the game and praised the bowling attack, particularly Lauren Bell‘s performance at the end.

The Hundred competition continues with both men’s and women’s teams vying for top positions. The match took place on July 22, 2026, with a start time of 18:30 UK time.