Welsh Fire (Welsh: Tân Cymreig) are a franchise 100-ball cricket side based in the city of Cardiff. The team represents the historic counties of Glamorgan, Gloucestershire and Somerset in the newly founded competition called The Hundred,[1] which took place for the first time during the 2021 English and Welsh cricket season. Both the men's and women's teams play their home games at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
 | |
| Personnel | |
|---|---|
| Captain | Tom Abell (men's team) Tammy Beaumont (women's team) |
| Coach | Michael Hussey (men's team) Gareth Breese (women's team) |
| Overseas player(s) | Haris Rauf Glenn Phillips Shaheen Afridi (men's team) Shabnim Ismail Jess Jonassen Hayley Matthews (women's team) |
| Team information | |
| Colours | |
| Founded | 2019 |
| Home ground | Sophia Gardens |
| Capacity | 16,000 |
| History | |
| No. of titles | 0 |
| The Hundred game wins | 15 (Women's team: 8) (Men's team: 7) |
| Official website | Welsh Fire |
History
Welsh Fire was founded in June 2019 as one of eight teams to take part in the inaugural season of The Hundred. The team was jointly run by Glamorgan, Somerset and Gloucestershire County Cricket Clubs. It was reported that the side might be renamed as Western Fire, to allay concerns in Somerset and Gloucestershire that they were not sufficiently represented by the side, but this did not come to fruition.[2]
In July 2019, the team announced that former South Africa and India coach, and current Royal Challengers Bangalore coach Gary Kirsten had been appointed as the men's team coach.[3] The women's side was due to be managed by Matthew Mott, a former Glamorgan coach and the current Australia women's team coach, but he withdrew and was replaced by his assistant coach, Mark O'Leary.[4]
The inaugural Hundred draft[clarification needed] took place in October 2019 and saw the Fire claim Jonny Bairstow as their headline men's draftee, and Katie George as the women's headliner. They are joined by Somerset wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Banton, Glamorgan batsman Colin Ingram, and England batter Bryony Smith.[5]
Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc were selected as the flagship £125,000 signings in the first round and are two of the side's three overseas players. With Ingram and Banton already occupying the £100,000 slots, Welsh Fire sat out the second round. Ravi Rampaul and Ben Duckett were selected in the third round for £75,000 and Simon Harmer, along with Afghanistan's Qais Ahmed (the team's third overseas player), were bought for £60,000 in the fourth. Liam Plunkett and Ryan ten Doeschate were the picks in the fifth round for £50,000 and Gloucestershire duo David Payne and Ryan Higgins were selected in the sixth round for £40,000. Danny Briggs and Leus du Plooy complete the squad, having both been bought for £30,000 in the final round. The final place in the squad will go to an outstanding performer in next season's Vitality Blast 20-over competition.
Australian Meg Lanning was the next pick for the ladies' team.
Honours
Men's honours
The Hundred
- 4th place: 2023 (highest finish)
Women's honours
The Hundred
- Third place: 2023
Ground
Both the Fire men's and women's sides play at the home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club, Sophia Gardens Cricket Ground, in the west of Cardiff city centre. The women's side had been due to play some matches at Gloucestershire's Bristol County Ground and Somerset's County Ground, Taunton but both teams were brought together at the same ground as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Current squads
- Bold denotes players with international caps.
Women's side
| No. | Name | Nationality | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | ||||||
| 4 | Emily Windsor |  England | 14 September 1997 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 12 | Tammy Beaumont | England | 11 March 1991 | Right-handed | — | Captain |
| 13 | Ella McCaughan | England | 26 September 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| 47 | Sophia Dunkley | England | 16 July 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| All-rounders | ||||||
| 25 | Alex Griffiths |  Wales | 12 June 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 34 | Georgia Elwiss | England | 31 May 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 50 | Hayley Matthews |  West Indies | 19 March 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Overseas player |
| — | Phoebe Franklin | England | 18 February 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| 6 | Sarah Bryce |  Scotland | 8 January 2000 | Right-handed | — | |
| Pace bowlers | ||||||
| 61 | Freya Davies | England | 27 October 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 89 | Shabnim Ismail |  South Africa | 5 October 1988 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Overseas player |
| Spin bowlers | ||||||
| 8 | Claire Nicholas | Wales | 8 September 1986 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| — | Jess Jonassen |  Australia | 5 November 1992 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Overseas player |
Men's side
| No. | Name | Nationality | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | ||||||
| 6 | Glenn Phillips |  New Zealand | 6 December 1996 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Overseas player |
| 23 | Stephen Eskinazi | England | 28 March 1994 | Right-handed | — | |
| — | Tom Kohler-Cadmore | England | 19 August 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| All-rounders | ||||||
| 3 | Luke Wells | England | 29 December 1990 | Left-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| 15 | David Willey | England | 28 February 1990 | Left-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | |
| 28 | Tom Abell | England | 5 March 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | Captain |
| 52 | Roelof van der Merwe |  Netherlands[a] | 31 December 1984 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| 33 | Joe Clarke | England | 26 May 1996 | Right-handed | — | |
| 51 | Jonny Bairstow | England | 26 September 1989 | Right-handed | — | Centrally contracted player |
| — | Chris Cooke | South Africa | 30 May 1986 | Right-handed | — | UK passport |
| Pace bowlers | ||||||
| 7 | David Payne | England | 15 February 1991 | Right-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | |
| 10 | Shaheen Afridi |  Pakistan | 6 April 2000 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast | Overseas player |
| 14 | Jake Ball | England | 14 March 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | |
| 77 | Haris Rauf | Pakistan | 7 November 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | Overseas player |
| Spin bowlers | ||||||
Seasons
Women's team
| Season | Group stage | Playoff stage | Ref. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | Pos | Pld | Pos | ||
| 2021 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8th | Did not progress | [6] | |
| 2022 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8th | Did not progress | [7] | |
| 2023 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 3rd | 1[a] | 3rd | [8] |
Men's team
| Season | Group stage | Playoff stage | Ref. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | Pos | Pld | Pos | ||
| 2021 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7th | Did not progress | [9] | |
| 2022 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8th | Did not progress | [10] | |
| 2023 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4th | Did not progress | [11] | |
Notes
See also
- List of Welsh Fire cricketers
- List of cricket grounds in England and Wales
- List of Test cricket grounds
References
Further reading
- BBC: The Hundred player draft – covering the first draft signings for each region's team
External links
