Hayley Matthews stars with bat and ball as Welsh Fire finish Southern Brave’s residence run

Welsh Fire 165 for 3 (Matthews 65) beat Southern Brave161 for 4 (Mandhana 70*, Wyatt 67, Griffiths 2-26, Matthews 1-35) by 4 runs

Matthews struck a powerful 65 to propel Fire to 165 for 3 – their file rating in The Hundred – earlier than the West Indies worldwide defended 9 within the ultimate set.

Sent in to bat by Anya Shrubsole, Welsh Fire instantly seemed a special prospect to earlier seasons and had been stuffed with intent from the beginning of their innings.

Matthews timed her first ball from Shrubsole by means of the covers and struck an array of spectacular drives, sweeps, and punches as she raced to her fifty off simply 26 balls, the quickest half-century in Welsh Fire historical past.

Fire captain and England star Tammy Beaumont joined within the enjoyable within the ultimate set of the powerplay, chopping free and hitting Chloe Tryon for 3 boundaries.

The Fire had raced to 80 when Beaumont grew to become the primary wicket to fall, stumped off Georgia Adams’ bowling.

The hard-hitting Laura Harris was promoted up the order to capitalise on the quick begin, and he or she struck two huge sixes to race to twenty off seven balls, earlier than an unimaginable piece of fielding from Maia Bouchier with a direct-hit from the long-on boundary caused her demise. Matthews lastly fell for a unbelievable 65 chipping a return catch again to Tryon.

Sarah Bryce and Georgia Elwiss rotated the strike nicely earlier than ending with a flurry in a partnership of 48 to convey the rating to 165 for 3, just one run in need of matching the file rating in The Women’s Hundred.

Mandhana and Wyatt appeared to relish the duty of pulling off a file run chase, and had been shortly into their work. Wyatt struck boundaries throughout the bottom, together with two huge sixes over the leg aspect, as she raced to a chic half-century off simply 31 balls.

Alex Griffiths introduced the much-needed breakthrough for Fire, as Wyatt holed out on 67 to Matthews at lengthy on to finish a 96-run opening stand.

Mandhana then assumed the accountability of main the house cost and dominated the Fire bowling, not deterred by shedding Bouchier who was neatly stumped by Bryce of Griffiths.

Mandhana accelerated to an aesthetic half-century from 33 balls, and continued to attain freely, ending on a classy 70 from simply 42 deliveries.
But she was unable to see sufficient of the strike late on and whereas Brave seemed on track with 9 required off the final-set of 5 balls, Matthews took centre stage.

Matthews had Tryon stumped off the primary ball, after which restricted Mandhana and Freya Kemp to simply three singles off her remaining balls to safe a historic win for Welsh Fire.