Southern Brave Women held their nerve in a thrilling finish to beat MI London Women by just one run in the ninth match of The Hundred Women’s Competition 2026 at The Rose Bowl in Southampton on July 27, 2026 (Monday). Southern Brave scored 126/7 from 100 balls, and MI London came extremely close during the chase but finished on 125/3. The result gave Southern Brave another four points and kept their perfect start alive, while MI London suffered their third straight defeat.
MI London won the toss and decided to field first, but Southern Brave made a quick start through Maia Bouchier and Lizelle Lee. Bouchier scored 31 from 22 balls, hitting five fours and one six, while Lee made nine from seven balls. Tara Norris removed Lee before Hayley Matthews dismissed Bouchier, leaving Brave at 44/2. Laura Wolvaardt and Jemimah Rodrigues then rebuilt the innings with an important partnership.
Wolvaardt scored 35 from 30 balls, hitting four boundaries, while Rodrigues played a more attacking innings and made 32 from 22 balls at a strike rate of 145.45. However, Brave lost wickets at regular intervals in the closing stages. Sophie Molineux made four, Jodi Grewcock scored six and Issy Wong added one. Naomi Dattani remained unbeaten on five from three balls as Southern Brave finished on 126/7.
MI London’s bowling attack was led by Hayley Matthews, who produced an outstanding spell in the 100-ball format. She took four wickets for 22 runs from 20 balls, giving away only 1.10 runs per ball. Nicola Carey and Melie Kerr also bowled well and claimed one wicket each, while Tara Norris took one. Their disciplined bowling prevented Southern Brave from reaching a much bigger total and gave MI London a realistic target to chase.
MI London started their chase steadily, with Hayley Matthews and Danni Wyatt-Hodge building the innings after an early period of careful batting. Matthews made 32 from 28 balls, including four fours, before Issy Wong dismissed her. Wyatt-Hodge continued to score at a healthy rate, while captain Hollie Armitage joined her and helped keep MI London in control. Their partnership gave the visitors a strong chance of completing the chase.
Armitage eventually fell for 27 from 21 balls, caught by wicketkeeper Lizelle Lee off Sarah Glenn, but Wyatt-Hodge stayed at the crease. She produced an excellent unbeaten 52 from 42 balls, hitting four fours and reaching her half-century from 41 balls. Chinelle Henry made two before Sophie Molineux dismissed her, while Nicola Carey finished unbeaten on eight from five balls. MI London needed only two runs from their final balls but could not cross the line.
Southern Brave’s bowlers deserve credit for keeping their calm when the match appeared to be slipping away. Sophie Molineux, Issy Wong and Sarah Glenn each took one wicket, while Jodi Grewcock was especially economical, giving away only three runs from her five balls. With MI London finishing just one run short, every tight delivery proved valuable. The result also showed how important small moments can be in The Hundred.
The win strengthened Southern Brave’s position at the top of the points table. They now have 12 points from three matches, with three wins and no defeats, while their Net Run Rate stands at 0.250. MI London remain eighth with zero points from three matches, having lost all three games, and their NRR is -1.841. Southern Brave will next face Birmingham Phoenix Women on July 30, 2026 (Thursday) at the Utilita Bowl, while MI London will meet London Spirit Women on July 29, 2026 (Wednesday) at the Kia Oval.
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