Heather Graham powered Welsh Fire to a stunning four-wicket win over unbeaten league leaders Southern Brave in a last-ball thriller at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, on Monday.
The Australian allrounder picked up two wickets and then struck an unbeaten 35 to hand Brave their first defeat of The Hundred Women’s Competition 2026.
Graham’s Late Heroics Seal Dramatic Victory
Chasing 122, Welsh Fire looked in deep trouble for large stretches of their innings. Wickets fell steadily, and the equation read 52 needed off 38 balls when Lauren Bell removed Georgia Wareham with a well-disguised slower delivery. That’s when debutant Grace Thompson, playing in place of Em Arlott, changed the mood with a six and four in quick succession.
Thompson fell soon after, but Niamh Holland stepped up alongside Graham to finish the job. Holland swept and drove her way to crucial boundaries, leaving three runs needed off the final two balls. A missed run-out chance let Fire off the hook, and Graham calmly steered the winning run through the infield off the last delivery.
Graham later said the win meant more for Holland and the other young players who backed her at the death than for herself. She added that experience from years of playing in tight matches helped her stay composed under pressure.
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Brave’s Batting Misfires on a Turning Pitch
Southern Brave captain Sophie Molineux won the toss and chose to bat first, becoming the first captain this season to do so. It didn’t pay off the way she hoped. Both openers were dismissed inside the first 16 balls, forcing Laura Wolvaardt and Jemimah Rodrigues into a rebuilding job that never fully found rhythm. The pitch offered turn throughout, and scoring proved difficult against Fire’s spin-heavy attack.
Wolvaardt made 48 off 45 balls before falling to Graham, while Rodrigues contributed 25. Brave eventually posted 121 for 5, a total that felt short given their track record this season. It marked the sixth time in six matches that Brave failed to cross 140, making them the only side in either the men’s or women’s competition yet to breach that mark this year.
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Fire’s Bowling Attack Chips Away Under Pressure
Welsh Fire’s spinners did much of the early damage once Brave began their chase for defendable runs, but it was during Fire’s own run chase that their bowling depth proved secondary to their batting recovery.
Tilly Corteen-Coleman, playing a rare role with the ball in this passage, accounted for Georgia Voll, the tournament’s leading run-scorer this season, and had Ella McCaughan stumped soon after. Issy Wong then castled Orla Prendergast, Devine’s replacement, leaving Fire wobbling at a stage when the match appeared to be slipping away.
Sophie Devine’s absence, ruled out with a calf injury, had already left Welsh Fire short-handed heading into the contest, and Wareham led the side in her place. Despite the setbacks with the bat, Fire’s bowlers had earlier restricted Brave to a manageable target, setting up the tense finish that Graham and Holland ultimately closed out.
The result lifts Welsh Fire off the bottom half of the table, while Brave remain on top despite the loss, still holding a healthy cushion over the chasing pack heading into the tournament’s business end.
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