Welsh Fire secured a dramatic four-wicket victory over Southern Brave on Monday, August 3, ending their opponents' five-match winning streak in a final-ball thriller. The match, part of the Women’s Hundred, saw Heather Graham hold her nerve to tap the ball past short cover for the winning runs off the final delivery. The finish was aided by a crucial fumble from veteran Lizelle Lee, who missed a run-out opportunity on the penultimate ball.
The chase was a see-saw affair centered on Graham’s unbeaten 35. Welsh Fire’s top order was initially dismantled by Tilly Corteen-Coleman, who dismissed Georgia Voll and Ella McCaughan in the space of three balls. Following the departure of Freya Kemp, who holed out to Lauren Bell at long-on, the Fire slipped to 44/3. Although the Brave bowlers maintained control, their fielding was inconsistent; Lee struggled behind the stumps, missing stumping chances against Kemp and dropping Georgia Wareham. Wareham provided brief resistance before being bowled by a back-of-hand slower ball from Bell that barely exceeded 50 mph.
Astonishingly, it came down to debutant Grace Thompson, who jumped out and cracked a six to the cover fence to keep the chase alive. The 19-year-old then smashed the next ball for four, though her innings ended when she was caught by Corteen-Coleman off a knuckle ball from Issy Wong. A review had previously saved Thompson from a leg-before-wicket decision. Niamh Holland then contributed a vital cameo, bringing the requirement down to eight off the final five balls and then four off three after slapping a slower ball from Bell behind point.
Earlier, Southern Brave posted 121/5, an innings that featured no sixes. Laura Wolvaardt scored 48 and Jemimah Rodrigues added 25, with the pair sharing a 49-run stand off 43 balls that steadied the innings enough to push towards 120. They trickled past that mark with small contributions from Jodie Grewcock and skipper Sophie Molineux. Grace Potts utilized early swing to remove Lee for her second consecutive duck, while Maia Bouchier also fell early. Graham claimed two wickets, including both Wolvaardt and Rodrigues. Skipper Wareham was excellent in the field, taking three catches and effecting a direct-hit run-out to dismiss Molineux. Brave conceded 10 wides, which, alongside their missed chances, proved costly. While Southern Brave remains at the top with 20 points, they missed the chance in Cardiff to officially qualify for the semi-finals, while Welsh Fire moved to fourth on the points table.
