Beaumont and Matthews help Fire thrash Brave
Tammy Beaumont hits 34 and Hayley Matthews takes 3-16 as in-form Welsh Fire claim a seven-wicket win over struggling Southern Brave in The Hundred women’s competition.
The Hundred women’s competition, Sophia Gardens
Southern Brave 84 (91 balls): Adams 17 (18); Matthews 3-16
Welsh Fire 88-3 (90 balls): Beaumont 34 (36); Cheatle 2-8
Welsh Fire won by seven wickets
Tammy Beaumont top-scored with 34 as in-form Welsh Fire continued their impressive campaign in The Hundred women’s competition with a seven-wicket win over struggling Southern Brave.
Beaumont had scores of 4, 5 and 0 in her past three innings, but the England batter played a key hand on a tricky pitch with a composed knock as Fire chased down Brave’s 84 with 10 balls to spare.
Lauren Cheatle took 2-8 to briefly inject some hope into Brave’s efforts in the field but Jess Jonassen and Sarah Bryce, who finished unbeaten on 20 and 13 respectively, calmly steered the hosts home.
Earlier, Smriti Mandhana had fallen for a duck from the first ball of the game, off Freya Davies’ bowling, to set the tone for a miserable Brave batting effort.
Skipper Georgia Adams was top-scorer with just 17, and one of only three Brave players, alongside Danni Wyatt and Freya Kemp, to make double figures.
Fire all-rounder Hayley Matthews led the way with the ball as she collected 3-16, while Davies and Jonassen both claimed two wickets apiece.
What else do you need to know?
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Fire increased their lead at top of the standings as they moved on to eight points – three clear of Northern Superchargers on five – while Brave stayed rock bottom.
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Defending champions Brave had won five out of five matches at this stage in last year’s edition of The Hundred, but are winless in 2024 with just one point.
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Brave’s total was their second lowest in the competition. The only time they scored fewer runs was when they were bowled out for 73 against London Spirit at Lord’s in August 2021.
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Hayley Matthews impressed with the ball but had a tough day with the bat as she scratched around for just a solitary run in 16 balls.
‘Nice to play my natural game’ – what they said
Fire skipper Tammy Beaumont: “Four wins out of five and top of the table, you can’t ask for anything more. Brave are a wounded dragon with some match-winners and we were a little bit concerned about today, so I’m so proud of the girls.
“It hasn’t been the best season as a whole for me but that’s cricket. I actually came in early to have a net before the game. I guess having a low total meant I could play it a bit more like 50-over cricket. It was quite nice to play my natural game and give myself a chance. I’m kicking myself to get out when I did.”
Hero of the match Hayley Matthews of Welsh Fire: “I just tried to pitch it in some really good areas. There was a little bit in the pitch, a bit of turn and bounce and I just tried to keep the stumps in play.
“We’ve been playing as a team and having everyone contribute. The girls assessed the conditions really well and they were able to be really calm and finish it off. We are playing really good cricket and someone is always putting their hand up every game.”
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21 hours ago
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What is happening on Tuesday?
There are four matches in The Hundred on Tuesday.
Manchester Originals host Oval Invincibles (women’s at 11:30 BST, men’s at 15:00) at Old Trafford, while Birmingham Phoenix (women at 15:00 and men at 18:30) welcome Northern Superchargers to Edgbaston.
You can follow commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.
