The Sophie Devine-led Welsh Fire were up against the Trent Rockets, led by skipper Ashleigh Gardner, at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, in the 11th match of the ongoing 6th edition of the Women’s Hundred in the 1st game of the double-header Wednesday on, 29th July 2026.
The Manchester Super Giants, on the back of an unbeaten half-century of 88* (50 balls) from Smriti Mandhana, defeated the Sunrisers Leeds by 4 wickets at Headingley on 28th July 2026.
The visitors, Trent Rockets, made a couple of changes, with the return of former skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt making the headlines, replacing Emma Jones. The 23-year-old young pacer Charley Phillips made her Women’s Hundred Debut replacing Katie Levick in the side for the Ashleigh Gardner-led side.
The Rockets skipper Ashleigh Gardner won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Welsh Fire openers, Ella McCaughan and Georgia Voll, got their side off to a steady start with a 24-run opening stand. Skipper Ashleigh Gardner got the first breakthrough for her side, dismissing Ella McCaughan in the 7th set of the innings.
The Debutant Charley Phillips bagged her maiden scalp in the tournament by dismissing in-form Georgia Voll (18 off 21 balls) in the 9th set of the innings to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side. Skipper Sophie Devine joined Freya Kemp at the crease, and the duo led the recovery with a much-needed 71-run stand for the 3rd wicket, which also took them closer to the 100-run mark.
Charley Phillips returned and landed another decisive blow as she picked up the big scalp of the opposition skipper Sophie Devine (38 off 25 balls) in the 17th set of the innings to provide the 3rd breakthrough for Trent Rockets. Georgia Wareham (19* off 10 balls) ensured the momentum continued en route to an unbeaten 30-run stand for the 4th wicket; as a result, the home side had a strong finish, posting 129/3 in their quota of 100 deliveries. Freya Kemp stayed unbeaten on 36* (29 balls).
Kim Garth (20-11-19-0), Charley Phillips (20-10-17-2), Samantha Bates (20-7-27-0) and skipper Ashleigh Gardner (20-6-38-1) were impressive with the ball for Trent Rockets.
Chasing a target of 130, the Trent Rockets openers Sophia Dunkley and wicket-keeper batter Beth Mooney got their side off to a flying start, taking the fizz out of the run chase with a massive 73-run opening stand, which eventually proved to be decisive. Heather Graham broke the stand by sending Sophia Dunkley (15 off 17 balls) back to the pavilion in the 8th set of the run chase to provide the much-needed 1st breakthrough for Welsh Fire.
Em Arlott removed a well-set Beth Mooney (57 off 35 balls) in the 12th set of the run chase to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side and take the contest deeper. However, a calm and composed skipper Ashleigh Gardner walked in and guided her side over the line with an unbeaten 40-run stand for the 3rd wicket, alongside Nat Sciver-Brunt (37* off 23 balls). The Trent Rockets secured their 2nd win of the season by 8 wickets and 17 balls to spare.
Em Arlott (10-3-15-1) and Heather Graham (15-4-27-1) were the only wicket-takers with the ball for Welsh Fire. Georgia Wareham (18-6-27-0) and Sophia Smale (15-5-20-0) played her part with the ball. Beth Mooney was awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant half-century (57 off 35 balls). Her knock included 8 boundaries and a maximum. Trent Rockets climbed to 3rd on the points table with 8 points from 3 games so far in their campaign.
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