Welsh Fire turned the form table on its head to defeat table-toppers Southern Brave off the last ball in the Hundred at Cardiff.

Until the last dozen deliveries, it looked like it was to be rinse and repeat for the visitors, putting up what seemed a below-par total before unleashing their formidable bowling attack to squeeze the opposition to defeat – but brilliant cameos from Heather Graham and Niamh Holland at the death saw Fire triumph in an absolute thriller to keep their hopes alive.

Sitting in sixth and hampered by the loss of their captain Sophie Devine – ruled out of the tournament with a calf injury – Welsh Fire desperately needed a win against the unbeaten league-leaders and the smart money ahead of the game wouldn’t have backed them.

In their previous five wins, Brave had twice defended 126 for 7 and 140 for 3, and chased 115 and 117. They are curiously the only team in the men’s or women’s competition not to have gone past 140.

Today, their batting misfired again after Sophie Molineux became the first captain to win the toss and bat in this year’s women’s tournament. The openers were gone after 16 balls, and Laura Wolvaardt and Jemimah Rodrigues rebuilt in uncharacteristically pedestrian style. Batting was not easy on a turning pitch, and the Brave stumbled to 121 for 5, Welsh Fire seemingly on top but aware of Brave’s bowling threat.

Georgia Voll went past Sophia Dunkley to become the 2026 competition’s leading run-scorer but departed for 11 to Tilly Corteen-Coleman’s second ball, with the young spinner having Ella McCaughan stumped from her fifth. And when the economical Issy Wong hit Devine’s replacement Orla Prendergast’s stumps, Brave were squeezing the opposition in habitual style, despite bowling an unusual number of wides.

A Lauren Bell slower ball deceived Wareham to leave Fire in real trouble, needing 52 off 38 but an unexpected six-four combo from debutant Grace Thompson, in for Em Arlott, put the cat amongst the pigeons. She was then caught, and it looked like the nous and skills of Molineux and Bell would see Brave home.

But that was to reckon without another young talent in Holland. She swept and drove boundaries to leave three runs needed off two, then Lee should have run Graham out but dropped the ball to leave a single needed off the last ball. And Graham gleefully hit Bell through the infield to spark the celebrations.

Meerkat Match Hero Heather Graham said: “For Niamh to come in at the end, run really well with me, and get a few boundaries away herself; the win is more for those guys than me. It’s always nerve-wracking in situations like that. I’ve played for a lot of years now and been in plenty of tight games, so you just rely on those past experiences to help get you over the line.”