Welsh Fire men just missed out on the Eliminator at The Oval as the Southern Brave went through on run rate last night. The Women have qualified and will play the Northern Superchargers at The Oval.
There has been a huge turnaround in fortunes for both teams, with Mike Hussey’s team looking a completely different outfit from the seasons before.
Successful on and off the field, the Men have had a season to remember and be proud of, with many highlights.
Few will forget Shaheen Shah Afridi take two wickets with his first two balls in the competition, and Stevie Eskinazi smashed the fastest fifty in Welsh Fire history as they won their final game of the season, against Northern Supercharges.
The Women however, are still vying for Hundred glory, and have set records in almost every game. More people than ever have watched the Women play at Sophia Gardens, and have been treated to some of the best performances in the history of The Hundred.
As they trained in the Cardiff sunshine before heading up to London for Saturday’s Eliminator against Northern Superchargers, there was one more transformation possible for Tammy Beaumont’s team – from Hundred Wooden Spooners to Champions.
Bottom of the table for last two seasons - one win last season after getting just two the year before - they were even bottom of the table in the abandoned 2020 season, though admittedly that was alphabetical order!
Now Welsh Fire are ready for the Kia Oval ‘semi-final’ on Saturday and just that one game from a Lord’s Final on Sunday. It has taken a while, but their success is also moving the dial for Women and Girls cricket in Wales.
The Women’s Hundred season has been most defined by two firsts for the Welsh Fire, Beaumont’s record-breaking 118 against Trent Rockets and Ismail’s hat-trick off the last three balls of the innings to beat Birmingham Phoenix by three runs.
Claire Nicholas is one of three Welsh players in the squad, along with Kate Cappock and Alex Griffiths.
Nicholas is a teacher when not playing cricket, heading back into the classroom a few days after the Hundred finals weekend, and she is noticing a difference in Wales on the back of this season’s success as the squad embrace the Welsh Hwyl.
“Hywl is part of our Welsh culture, about getting it over the line, getting results, underdogs having to fight for everything we get, and it is something Welsh people have in bundles,” she explained.
“Everyone in our squad has embraced that and also being in Cardiff, eating lots of Welsh cakes. Both the Welsh Fire men and women have played some good cricket, entertaining the spectators coming through the door.
You can watch Welsh Fire Women in The Hundred Eliminator on Saturday, 26th August at 2:30pm on either Sky Sports or BBC.