After four defeats in four for the women’s side and six in six for the men, Welsh Fire finally claimed a first win in The Hundred as the home side beat Northern Superchargers by 11 runs in Cardiff; the visitors suffered a huge batting collapse, losing four wickets for six runs in 10 balls
Last Updated: 26/08/22 6:19pm
Claire Nicholas claimed 2-17 as Welsh Fire earned a first win of The Hundred over Northern Superchargers
Welsh Fire finally claimed a first win in The Hundred as the women’s side beat Northern Superchargers by 11 runs after an almighty batting collapse by the visitors in Cardiff.
Story of the match
The Fire had not only lost their first four games in the women’s tournament, but defeats too for the men had made it 10 in 10 for a sorry 2022 so far… but all that changed courtesy of a Nicola Carey-inspired victory on Friday night.
Welsh Fire 123-6 from 100 balls – Bryce (36 off 30 balls), Kelly (31no off 22 balls);
Northern Superchargers 112-6 from 100 balls – Wolvaardt (41 off 38 balls), Armitage (40 off 38 balls); Carey (3-18 from 20 balls), Nicholas (2-17 from 20 balls)
Chasing 124 to win, Australia’s Alyssa Healy (4) and Bess Heath (1) fell cheaply to Claire Nicholas (2-17), but South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt (41 off 38) and skipper Hollie Armitage (40 off 38) appeared to have the Superchargers coasting towards their target as they shared in a 90-run stand for the third wicket.
But Wolvaardt, Heather Graham, Armitage and Alice Davidson-Richards all then departed within 10 deliveries of each other and with the finishing line in sight – Nicola Carey (3-17) claiming three of the four to fall as the Fire clinched a remarkable 11-run win.
Earlier, Fire captain Tammy Beaumont had herself failed with the bat, bowled by former England team-mate Jenny Gunn (2-20) for 10, but Sarah Bryce (36 off 30 balls) and Annabel Sutherland (31no off 22) batted nicely to see the hosts up to what proved ultimately to be a match-winning score – their cause helped by a pair of sixes in the final four balls from Sutherland and Lauren Filer (9no).
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What’s next?
Next up in The Hundred is a London derby double-header between London Spirit and Oval Invincibles at Lord’s on Saturday.
Spirit vs Invincibles
August 27, 2022, 3:00pm
Live on 
Spirit vs Invincibles
August 27, 2022, 6:45pm
Live on 
It has been a case of contrasting fortunes for the Spirit this year, with the women struggling near the foot of the table after one win from their first four, while the men are currently top of the lot and have the chance to cement a play-off spot with victory over their local rivals.
A win for the Invincibles women will all but secure the defending champions a play-off place too, while the men need a victory to stay in the hunt with one game to go.
The women are up first from 3pm, on Sky Sports Mix and via a live stream on skysports.com, the Sky Sports App and the Sky Sports Cricket YouTube channel. The men’s fixture follows from 6.30pm on Sky Sports The Hundred.
Watch every match from The Hundred this summer live on Sky Sports.
Tickets for The Hundred are selling fast! If you want to be part of the action, go to thehundred.com/tickets