"Perfect start to our tournament" Laura Wolvaardt reflects on opening win ahead of packed Southern Brave schedule

Southern Brave started its Hundred women’s competition campaign with a hard-fought win against Welsh Fire in Southampton, thanks in part to 45 runs from South African Laura Wolvaardt and some heroic bowling to bring the Fire’s chase to a halt after they enjoyed a positive start with the bat.

Reflecting on the opening fixture in a chat with BBC Radio Solent, Wolvaardt said: “It was nice to start with a win and to be able to contribute, it was a crazy position that we won from, so very happy we got that one in the bag. It was probably a little bit slower than I would have liked, I think we saw it in the men's game as well, it was quite tough to score and tough to swing through the line. But I knew if me and Sophie batted deeply, we could get a good score, I didn't quite make the most of the back enders as much as I wanted to. But I think our bowlers did a great job defending that second half.”

Wolvaardt returned to the Brave after spending last year on the South Coast and believes the side have brought their form and energy from the 2025 campaign into this summer’s tournament. “It's really nice coming back to the same team. Obviously, last year we had a great season [going] unbeaten until the final. A lot has changed this year, a lot of new faces in the squad, but I think the feel is still the same. We sorted a really good squad and it's nice to see how we were able to win from a tough position yesterday with a fairly new squad. Everyone’s just gelled really well and I think to show a lot of character like that as a group on the field is pretty cool for a team that hasn't played that much together. It was the perfect start to our tournament.”

Reflecting more widely on The Hundred, now in its sixth year, the South African added: “I love The Hundred. It’s got such a cool vibe to it. As a player, it's short and sharp. There's always a bit of a festival around game day and the crowds are great, which is awesome. The weather's always great down in Southampton, so I think it's just a fun gameday and a fun tournament to be a part of.”

Up next, Southern Brave face SunRisers Leeds on Saturday 25 July, with Wolvaardt keen for the team to keep to good times going.

“The tournament is pretty fast paced. We travelled up to Leeds today and then it's pretty back-to-back for us. Once you have the momentum, you have got to keep going with it because it can swing at any time, we have to keep riding it for as long as we can. [The key now is] to just keep focusing on our processes and sticking to what we need to do, one step at a time, not getting too far ahead of ourselves. It was only the first game.