# 2021 Welsh Fire season

The 2021 season was Welsh Fire's first season of the new franchise 100 ball cricket, The Hundred.

## Players

The first players assigned to the Welsh Fire were England women's centrally contracted players Katie George and Bryony Smith, England men's red-ball contracted player Jonny Bairstow, and two "local icons" in Somerset's Tom Banton and Glamorgan's Colin Ingram.

### Men's side

In the initial draft for the men's Hundred on 20 October 2019, Welsh Fire selected Australia internationals Mitchell Starc and Steve Smith as overseas players at the £125,000 salary level, as well as Qais Ahmed at the £60,000 level. Smith was appointed as captain of the team in February 2020. After the Hundred was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jonny Bairstow lost his England central contract and was replaced in that capacity at Welsh Fire by Ollie Pope. Smith and Starc were also not retained for the rescheduled competition. Bairstow was ultimately re-signed by the Fire as one of their salary-banded players, and appointed as captain in July 2021.
* Bold denotes players with international caps.
| S/N | Name | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
| Batsmen |||||||
| 1 | Ian Cockbain | (1987-02-17) 17 February 1987 (age 37) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 17 | Ben Duckett | (1994-10-17) 17 October 1994 (age 29) | Left-handed | — | |
| 18 | Tom Banton | (1998-11-11) 11 November 1998 (age 25) | Right-handed | — | |
| 76 | Leus du Plooy | (1995-01-12) 12 January 1995 (age 29) | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Wildcard pick; EU passport |
| — | Ollie Pope | (1998-01-02) 2 January 1998 (age 26) | Right-handed | — | Centrally contracted |
| All-rounders |||||||
| 4 | Josh Cobb | (1990-08-17) 17 August 1990 (age 34) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| 20 | Matt Critchley | (1996-08-13) 13 August 1996 (age 28) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| 29 | Ryan Higgins | (1995-01-06) 6 January 1995 (age 29) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | |
| 50 | James Neesham | (1990-09-17) 17 September 1990 (age 34) | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Overseas player |
| 73 | David Lloyd | (1992-06-15) 15 June 1992 (age 32) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Wicketkeepers |||||||
| 23 | Glenn Phillips | (1996-12-06) 6 December 1996 (age 27) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Overseas player |
| 51 | Jonny Bairstow | (1989-09-26) 26 September 1989 (age 35) | Right-handed | — | Captain |
| Pace bowlers |||||||
| 7 | David Payne | (1991-02-15) 15 February 1991 (age 33) | Right-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | |
| 8 | Matt Milnes | (1994-07-29) 29 July 1994 (age 30) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Replacement player |
| 14 | Jake Ball | (1991-03-14) 14 March 1991 (age 33) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | |
| 19 | Luke Fletcher | (1988-09-18) 18 September 1988 (age 36) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Replacement player |
| 28 | Liam Plunkett | (1985-04-06) 6 April 1985 (age 39) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | |
| Spin bowlers |||||||
| 30 | Qais Ahmad | (2000-08-15) 15 August 2000 (age 24) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Overseas player |
| 87 | Graeme White | (1987-04-18) 18 April 1987 (age 37) | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Replacement player |

### Women's side

* Bold denotes players with international caps.
| S/N | Name | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
| Batters |||||||
| 63 | Sophie Luff | (1993-12-06) 6 December 1993 (age 30) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | Captain |
| All-rounders |||||||
| 44 | Alice Macleod | (1994-05-14) 14 May 1994 (age 30) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| 50 | Hayley Matthews | (1998-03-19) 19 March 1998 (age 26) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Overseas player |
| 64 | Georgia Hennessy | (1996-11-04) 4 November 1996 (age 27) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Wicketkeepers |||||||
| 7 | Nat Wraith | (2001-10-03) 3 October 2001 (age 23) | Right-handed | — | |
| 8 | Georgia Redmayne | (1993-12-08) 8 December 1993 (age 30) | Left-handed | — | Overseas player |
| 30 | Sarah Taylor | (1989-05-20) 20 May 1989 (age 35) | Right-handed | — | |
| Pace bowlers |||||||
| 17 | Piepa Cleary | (1996-07-17) 17 July 1996 (age 28) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | Overseas player |
| 25 | Alex Griffiths | (2002-06-12) 12 June 2002 (age 22) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 99 | Katie George | (1999-04-07) 7 April 1999 (age 25) | Left-handed | Left-arm medium | Centrally contracted |
| — | Lauren Filer | (2000-12-22) 22 December 2000 (age 23) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| — | Amy Gordon | (2001-10-03) 3 October 2001 (age 23) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Spin bowlers |||||||
| 2 | Nicole Harvey | (1992-09-18) 18 September 1992 (age 32) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| 3 | Hannah Baker | (2004-02-03) 3 February 2004 (age 20) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| 4 | Bryony Smith | (1997-12-12) 12 December 1997 (age 26) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |

## Fixtures (Men)
### July

* 24 July 2021 18:00 (N) Scorecard
| Welsh Fire 173/4 (100 balls) | v | Northern Superchargers 168/7 (100 balls) |
| Jonny Bairstow 56 (36) Ben Stokes 1/8 (10 balls) | | Harry Brook 62 (31) Qais Ahmad 4/13 (20 balls) |
* Welsh Fire won by 5 runs Headingley, Leeds Attendance: 10,324 Umpires: Nigel Llong and Neil Mallender Player of the match: Qais Ahmad (Welsh Fire)
* Northern Superchargers won the toss and elected to field.
* Points: Welsh Fire 2, Northern Superchargers 0.
* 27 July 2021 18:30 (N) Scorecard
| Welsh Fire 165/4 (100 balls) | v | Southern Brave 147/7 (100 balls) |
| Jonny Bairstow 72 (39) Danny Briggs 2/33 (15 balls) | | James Vince 40 (27) James Neesham 3/5 (15 balls) |
* Welsh Fire won by 18 runs Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Attendance: 3,021 Umpires: Rob Bailey and Nigel Llong Player of the match: Jonny Bairstow (Welsh Fire)
* Southern Brave won the toss and elected to field.
* Points: Welsh Fire 2, Southern Brave 0.
* 31 July 2021 14:30 Scorecard
| Welsh Fire 150/6 (100 balls) | v | Manchester Originals 153/3 (95 balls) |
| Leus du Plooy 43 (22) Tom Hartley 2/11 (15 balls) | | Joe Clarke 58 (31) Ryan Higgins 1/9 (10 balls) |
* Manchester Originals won by 7 wickets Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Umpires: Rob Bailey and Tim Robinson Player of the match: Joe Clarke (Manchester Originals)
* Welsh Fire won the toss and elected to bat.
* Points: Manchester Originals 2, Welsh Fire 0.

### August

* 2 August 2021 18:30 (N) Scorecard
| Welsh Fire 121/7 (100 balls) | v | Oval Invincibles 125/4 (93 balls) |
| Ben Duckett 65 (52) Tom Curran 3/29 (20 balls) | | Sam Billings 40* (34) James Neesham 2/23 (20 balls) |
* Oval Invincibles won by 6 wickets The Oval, London Attendance: 21,279 Umpires: Neil Mallender and Alex Wharf Player of the match: Sam Billings (Oval Invincibles)
* Oval Invincibles won the toss and elected to field.
* Points: Oval Invincibles 2, Welsh Fire 0.
* 6 August 2021 19:00 (N) Scorecard
| Welsh Fire 139/8 (100 balls) | v | Trent Rockets 140/4 (90 balls) |
| Glenn Phillips 50 (35) Wahab Riaz 4/30 (20 balls) | | Samit Patel 46* (20) Qais Ahmad 2/23 (20 balls) |
* Trent Rockets won by 6 wickets Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Umpires: Rob Bailey and Martin Saggers Player of the match: Samit Patel (Trent Rockets)
* Trent Rockets won the toss and elected to field.
* Points: Trent Rockets 2, Welsh Fire 0.
* 9 August 2021 18:30 (N) Scorecard
| Birmingham Phoenix 184/5 (100 balls) | v | Welsh Fire 91 (74 balls) |
| Will Smeed 65* (38) David Payne 3/38 (20 balls) | | Ian Cockbain 32 (25) Imran Tahir 5/25 (19 balls) |
* Birmingham Phoenix won by 93 runs Edgbaston, Birmingham Umpires: Steve O'Shaughnessy and Tim Robinson Player of the match: Imran Tahir (Birmingham Phoenix)
* Welsh Fire won the toss and elected to field.
* Imran Tahir (Birmingham Phoenix) took a hat-trick.
* Points: Birmingham Phoenix 2, Welsh Fire 0.
* 11 August 2021 18:30 (N) Scorecard
| Welsh Fire 144/5 (100 balls) | v | Southern Brave 147/2 (87 balls) |
| Tom Banton 36 (20) Danny Briggs 2/17 (20 balls) | | Quinton de Kock 57* (32) Luke Fletcher 1/24 (15 balls) |
* Southern Brave won by 8 wickets Rose Bowl, Southampton Umpires: David Millns and Russell Warren Player of the match: Quinton de Kock (Southern Brave)
* Southern Brave won the toss and elected to field.
* Points: Southern Brave 2, Welsh Fire 0.
* 18 August 2021 18:30 (N) Scorecard
| London Spirit 163/5 (100 balls) | v | Welsh Fire 165/7 (98 balls) |
| Josh Inglis 72 (45) Ryan Higgins 3/21 (20 balls) | | Glenn Phillips 80 (35) Brad Wheal 3/30 (18 balls) |
* Welsh Fire won by 3 wickets Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Attendance: 9,261 Umpires: Nick Cook and Nigel Llong Player of the match: Glenn Phillips (Welsh Fire)
* Welsh Fire won the toss and elected to field.
* Points: Welsh Fire 2, London Spirit 0.

## Fixtures (Women)
### July

* 24 July 2021 14:30 Scorecard
| Welsh Fire 130/8 (100 balls) | v | Northern Superchargers 131/4 (85 balls) |
| Hayley Matthews 30 (20) Linsey Smith 3/14 (20 balls) | | Jemimah Rodrigues 92* (43) Piepa Cleary 1/14 (15 balls) |
* Northern Superchargers won by 6 wickets Headingley, Leeds Umpires: Anna Harris and Steve O'Shaughnessy Player of the match: Jemimah Rodrigues (Northern Superchargers)
* Northern Superchargers won the toss and elected to field.
* Points: Northern Superchargers 2, Welsh Fire 0.
* 27 July 2021 15:00 Scorecard
| Welsh Fire 110/7 (100 balls) | v | Southern Brave 112/2 (84 balls) |
| Hayley Matthews 33 (20) Lauren Bell 2/19 (20 balls) Amanda-Jade Wellington 2/19 (20 balls) | | Smriti Mandhana 61* (39) Nicole Harvey 1/23 (15 balls) |
* Southern Brave won by 8 wickets Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Umpires: Jasmine Naeem and Alex Wharf Player of the match: Smriti Mandhana (Southern Brave)
* Southern Brave won the toss and elected to field.
* Points: Southern Brave 2, Welsh Fire 0.
* 31 July 2021 11:00 Scorecard
| Manchester Originals 120/6 (100 balls) | v | Welsh Fire 124/1 (88 balls) |
| Sophie Ecclestone 31* (15) Georgia Hennessy 2/24 (20 balls) | | Hayley Matthews 71* (50) Laura Jackson 1/27 (15 balls) |
* Welsh Fire won by 9 wickets Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Umpires: Neil Mallender and Sue Redfern Player of the match: Hayley Matthews (Welsh Fire)
* Welsh Fire won the toss and elected to field.
* Points: Welsh Fire 2, Manchester Originals 0.

### August

* 2 August 2021 15:00 Scorecard
| Welsh Fire 112/6 (100 balls) | v | Oval Invincibles 100/9 (100 balls) |
| Georgia Redmayne 30 (29) Dane van Niekerk 1/10 (20 balls) | | Grace Gibbs 21 (22) Hayley Matthews 3/23 (20 balls) |
* Welsh Fire won by 12 runs The Oval, London Umpires: Graham Lloyd and Sue Redfern Player of the match: Sarah Taylor (Welsh Fire)
* Oval Invincibles won the toss and elected to field.
* Points: Welsh Fire 2, Oval Invincibles 0.
* 6 August 2021 15:30 Scorecard
| Welsh Fire 102 (100 balls) | v | Trent Rockets 103/6 (92 balls) |
| Hayley Matthews 28 (32) Heather Graham 3/14 (20 balls) | | Nat Sciver 54 (40) Hayley Matthews 2/13 (20 balls) |
* Trent Rockets won by 4 wickets Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Umpires: Peter Hartley and Jasmine Naeem Player of the match: Nat Sciver (Trent Rockets)
* Trent Rockets won the toss and elected to field.
* Points: Trent Rockets 2, Welsh Fire 0.
* 9 August 2021 15:00 Scorecard
| Welsh Fire 127/9 (100 balls) | v | Birmingham Phoenix 131/0 (76 balls) |
| Bryony Smith 38 (36) Kirstie Gordon 2/30 (20 balls) | | Shafali Verma 76* (42) |
* Birmingham Phoenix won by 10 wickets Edgbaston, Birmingham Umpires: Sarah Bartlett and Russell Warren Player of the match: Shafali Verma (Birmingham Phoenix)
* Birmingham Phoenix won the toss and elected to field.
* Points: Birmingham Phoenix 2, Welsh Fire 0.
* 11 August 2021 15:00 Scorecard
| Southern Brave 166/3 (100 balls) | v | Welsh Fire 127/4 (100 balls) |
| Smriti Mandhana 78 (52) Hayley Matthews 2/27 (20 balls) | | Georgia Redmayne 35* (27) Danni Wyatt 1/10 (5 balls) |
* Southern Brave won by 39 runs Rose Bowl, Southampton Umpires: Graham Lloyd and Jasmine Naeem Player of the match: Smriti Mandhana (Southern Brave)
* Welsh Fire won the toss and elected to field.
* Points: Southern Brave 2, Welsh Fire 0.
* 18 August 2021 15:00 Scorecard
| Welsh Fire 95/9 (100 balls) | v | London Spirit 96/3 (58 balls) |
| Georgia Redmayne 35 (28) Danielle Gibson 2/10 (15 balls) | | Heather Knight 34* (19) Danielle Gibson 34* (19) Hayley Matthews 2/28 (18 balls) |
* London Spirit won by 7 wickets Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Umpires: Sarah Bartlett and David Millns Player of the match: Danielle Gibson (London Spirit)
* London Spirit won the toss and elected to field.
* Points: London Spirit 2, Welsh Fire 0.

## Standings
### Women

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | NRR |
| 1 | Southern Brave | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1.056 |
| 2 | Oval Invincibles | 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0.015 |
| 3 | Birmingham Phoenix | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.186 |
| 4 | London Spirit | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.046 |
| 5 | Manchester Originals | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0.016 |
| 6 | Northern Superchargers | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | −0.041 |
| 7 | Trent Rockets | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | −0.293 |
| 8 | Welsh Fire | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | −1.017 |
advances to the Final  advances to the Eliminator

### Men

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | NRR |
| 1 | Birmingham Phoenix | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1.087 |
| 2 | Southern Brave | 8 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0.034 |
| 3 | Trent Rockets | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0.035 |
| 4 | Oval Invincibles | 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0.123 |
| 5 | Northern Superchargers | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0.510 |
| 6 | Manchester Originals | 8 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | −0.361 |
| 7 | Welsh Fire | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | −0.827 |
| 8 | London Spirit | 8 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 3 | −0.641 |
advances to the Final  advances to the Eliminator