Southern Brave Women pull 8 run fightback win against Welsh Fire

Southern Brave Women’s total of 126-7 proved just enough on the second day of The Hundred as Welsh Fire Women lost five wickets for six runs in 13 balls to see the game slip from their grasp.

Fire had controlled the chase but with the end in sight they were squeezed mercilessly by an experienced Brave bowling attack.

Lauren Bell and Tilly Corteen-Coleman initially dragged things back for the hosts, but it was Australia and Brave captain Sophie Molineux, who lifted the World Cup just two weeks ago, who was the star with her 3-14 proving match-winning.

Welsh Fire skipper Sophie Devine won the toss and gave Brave first use of the pitch. A circumspect start was interrupted as Heather Graham dismissed Maia Bouchier off her very first delivery, the first of four wickets for the medium-pacer. Lee and her South African teammate Laura Wolvaardt then took the score to 54 from 45 balls before Lee skied to long-on.

Indian star Jemimah Rodrigues came and went but Molineux gave the innings momentum while Wolvaardt ticked along steadily, although a flurry of wickets towards the end meant Welsh Fire would have been the happier of the two sides going into the break.

Wesh Fire lost Ella McCaughan immediately, bowled by Molineux, but Georgia Voll and Freya Kemp, fresh from her standout World Cup, accelerated nicely to have the visitors 80-1 from 59 balls, with the game seemingly in their hands.

But then things started to happen. Rodrigues effected a direct hit to run out Kemp, Molineux got the big wicket of Sophie Devine and the nerves were jangling. When Tilly Corteen-Coleman had Voll caught by Bouchier for a 39-ball 52 the game was right back in the balance. 

Lauren Bell then picked up two wickets in three balls to leave 16 needed from 10. Molineux’s cricket smarts saw her concede three off the next five and it was left to England’s starlet Corteen-Coleman to seal the deal, seeing the game out to leave last year’s finalists victors by eight runs.

Meerkat Match Hero Sophie Molineux said: “It was a great win in front of our home crowd. We clawed our way back and it was really pleasing.

“It’s often hard to juggle our bowling attack – but we bowled well in the middle and it’s hard, but Lauren bowled really well at the end. We’ve got real depth in our bowlers.

“It’d be nice if we could take some catches! But we should not read too much into that and just crack on!”