Record-breaking Brave reach Hundred final unbeaten

The Hundred women’s competition, Utilita Bowl

Southern Brave 106-8 (100 balls): Adams 30* (26); Matthews 2-16

Welsh Fire 77-9 (100 balls): Beaumont 28 (33); Bell 4-6

Brave won by 29 runs

Southern Brave became the first team to win all of their group games in The Hundred as they warmed up for Sunday’s final with a 29-run victory over Welsh Fire.

Brave, already guaranteed to finish top and therefore progress directly to Lord’s, made only 106-8 batting first but applied the squeeze as bottom-of-the-table Fire crumbled in pursuit of 107.

The visitors reached 50-1 from 55 balls before Tammy Beaumont holed out for a 33-ball 28, having taken only six singles from her previous 14 balls.

Jess Jonassen hit Lauren Bell to deep cover four balls later and only one boundary had come in 33 balls when Hayley Matthews was caught at deep mid-wicket in the next set. Fire lost their last eight wickets for 27 runs to end on 77-9.

England seamer Bell took two wickets in the last three balls to finish with remarkable figures of 4-6 and take her tally to 19 in the tournament – the most in a women’s Hundred season.

Brave’s spinners were also hard to hit on a slow and turning pitch, as captain Georgia Adams claimed 1-8 from 15 balls.

Adams was earlier her side’s highest scorer with 30 not out in their batting struggle.

Brave fiddled with their batting order, dropping Sophie Devine down to number eight to give others time in the middle, but lost regular wickets throughout.

Danni Wyatt-Hodge made 24 and Freya Kemp 18 – the only other batters to make double figures.

Brave, chasing their second women’s Hundred title, will play the winners of Saturday’s Eliminator between Northern Superchargers and London Spirit.