Southampton: Welsh Fire men's team secure six-wick...

By Rohan Gupta — 23 July 2026 — 3 min read

Salt Leads Welsh Fire to Opening Win

Welsh Fire began their 2026 Hundred season with a six-wicket victory against Southern Brave in Southampton. Captain Phil Salt played a pivotal role, scoring an unbeaten 47 runs from 37 balls to guide his team to the win. This performance marked a strong start for the Welsh franchise, which had finished last in both the men’s and women’s tables in the previous season.

Salt, who is the all-time leading scorer in The Hundred with 1,138 runs from five seasons with Manchester Originals, joined Fire as captain this year. His aim is to lead the team to their first-ever title in the competition.

Chasing a target of 136 runs, Salt initially supported fellow opener Matt Short, who contributed a quick 20 runs. Salt then built partnerships with Joe Root, who scored 14, and Rachin Ravindra, who added 24 runs. The match concluded dramatically when Asa Tribe hit a boundary off Chris Jordan’s first ball, with Salt sealing the victory with a six two balls later, needing nine runs from the final five balls.

Southern Brave’s Innings and Bowling Efforts

Earlier in the match, Southern Brave posted a total of 135-7 from 100 balls. Openers Jamie Smith and Ben McKinney were dismissed for single-digit scores. However, 18-year-old Thomas Rew helped stabilise the innings with a rapid 41 runs from 30 balls.

David Miller, after a slow start, finished strongly for Brave, scoring 44 runs from 35 balls before being dismissed on the penultimate delivery. Despite his efforts, the total proved insufficient against Fire’s chase.

The Welsh Fire bowlers maintained control for much of the innings. Marco Jansen was particularly effective, finishing with figures of 2-17. Australian all-rounder Nikhil Chaudhary also contributed with 2-19 from 15 balls, and Matt Short took 1-5 from 10 balls. England bowlers Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid were economical, conceding 0-22 and 0-18 respectively from their combined 40 balls.

Women’s Match Sees Molineux Shine for Brave

In the women’s competition, Southern Brave secured an eight-run victory over Welsh Fire. Sophie Molineux, captaining Southern Brave for the first time, was named player of the match. Molineux, an Australia T20 World Cup-winning captain, demonstrated her skill in a closely contested encounter at the Rose Bowl.

Welsh Fire initially appeared to be in a strong position to chase down Brave’s score of 126, reaching 1-80 from 58 balls. Georgia Wareham, another Australian player, scored nine runs for Fire. However, a crucial direct hit from Jemimah Rodrigues resulted in the run-out of Freya Kemp for 39, providing an opening for Brave.

Georgia Voll contributed 52 runs for Fire before wickets began to fall rapidly. Molineux, a Victorian all-rounder, was instrumental in Brave’s comeback, taking 3-14 from 20 balls. Lauren Bell and Tilly Corteen-Coleman each claimed two wickets, ensuring Fire concluded their innings at 8-118.

Earlier in the Brave’s innings, Laura Wolvaardt from South Africa scored an unbeaten 45 runs from 36 balls, while Lizelle Lee added 31. Molineux herself contributed a free-flowing 22 runs before being stumped. Despite a four-wicket haul from Australian teammate Heather Graham for Fire, Brave ultimately secured the win.

Molineux expressed satisfaction with the win, highlighting the team’s ability to recover and the depth of their bowling attack. The men’s and women’s matches for London Spirit and Manchester Super Giants are scheduled for Thursday at Lord’s, with the women’s game starting at 14:45 BST and the men’s at 18:30 BST.