The Hundred women’s competition, Sophia Gardens
Southern Brave 121-5 (100 balls): Wolvaardt 48 (45); Potts 2-14
Welsh Fire 122-6 (100 balls): Graham 35* (28); Corteen-Coleman 3-27
Welsh Fire won by four wickets
Welsh Fire condemned Southern Brave to their first defeat of this season’s Hundred as they earned a dramatic four-wicket victory in Cardiff.
Having won their first five matches of the women’s competition, Brave took their sixth outing down to the final ball while defending 121-5 but Heather Graham struck the winning runs for Fire, finishing unbeaten on 35.
Tilly Corteen-Coleman had taken three key top-order wickets to put the home side on the back foot early in their chase at Sophia Gardens.
The 18-year-old Brave left-arm spinner removed Fire openers Georgia Voll and Ella McCaughan in the same set before also dismissing Freya Kemp to record figures of 3-27.
Georgia Wareham, captaining Fire after Sophie Devine was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament through injury, fell for 16 to Lauren Bell’s slower ball, leaving the hosts 70-5 and in trouble.
But Graham, who also shone with the ball with two wickets, was aided by rapid knocks from Grace Thompson and Niamh Holland and held her nerve to take Fire to their second win of the campaign.
Earlier, Brave had become the first team to win the toss and choose to bat in the women’s competition this season, but lost Lizelle Lee and Maia Bouchier very early.
A 49-run third-wicket stand between Jemimah Rodrigues and Laura Wolvaardt helped steady the innings before Rodrigues departed for 25 from 21 balls.
Wolvaardt, however, stayed on before falling to Graham only two runs short of a half-century as Brave posted a total that fell just short.
