Welsh Fire
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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, 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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
As part of the 2025 Hundred sale, the ECB gave Glamorgan County Cricket Club a 51% stake in the franchise with the remaining 49% sold in an auction process. Glamorgan County Cricket Club opted to sell 1% of their stake with Washington Freedom acquiring 50% of the franchise. They took operational control on 1 October 2025.
Honours
Men's honours
The Hundred
- 4th place: 2023 (highest finish)
Women's honours
The Hundred
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.
- * denotes a player who is unavailable for rest of the season.
Women's side
| No. | Name | Nationality | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | ||||||
| — | Freya Kemp | England | (2005-04-21)21 April 2005(age 20) | Left-handed | Left-arm medium | England central contract |
| — | Ella McCaughan | England | (2002-09-26)26 September 2002(age 23) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| — | Abi Norgrove | England | (2006-01-17)17 January 2006(age 20) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| — | Georgia Voll | Australia | (2003-08-05)5 August 2003(age 22) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Overseas player |
| All-rounders | ||||||
| — | Sophie Devine | New Zealand | (1989-09-01)1 September 1989(age 36) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | Overseas player |
| — | Heather Graham | Australia | (1996-05-10)10 May 1996(age 29) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | Overseas player |
| — | Fi Morris | England | (1994-01-31)31 January 1994(age 32) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| — | Georgia Wareham | Australia | (1999-05-26)26 May 1999(age 26) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Overseas player |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| 6 | Sarah Bryce | Scotland | (2000-01-08)8 January 2000(age 26) | Right-handed | — | |
| — | Rhianna Southby | England | (2000-10-16)16 October 2000(age 25) | Right-handed | — | |
| Pace bowlers | ||||||
| — | Emily Arlott | England | (1998-02-23)23 February 1998(age 28) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| — | Grace Potts | England | (2002-07-12)12 July 2002(age 23) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| — | Grace Thompson | England | (2007-05-30)30 May 2007(age 18) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Spin bowlers | ||||||
| — | Sophia Smale | Wales | (2004-12-08)8 December 2004(age 21) | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox |
Men's side
| No. | Name | Nationality | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | ||||||
| 32 | Tom Kohler-Cadmore | England | (1994-08-19)19 August 1994(age 31) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| — | Jordan Cox | England | (2000-10-21)21 October 2000(age 25) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| — | Joe Root | England | (1990-12-30)30 December 1990(age 35) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | England central contract |
| — | Matthew Short | Australia | (1995-11-08)8 November 1995(age 30) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Overseas player |
| — | Asa Tribe | Jersey | (2004-03-29)29 March 2004(age 22) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| All-rounders | ||||||
| 8 | Ben Kellaway | Wales | (2004-01-05)5 January 2004(age 22) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break Slow left-arm orthodox | |
| — | Marco Jansen | South Africa | (2000-05-01)1 May 2000(age 25) | Right-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | Overseas player |
| — | Rachin Ravindra | New Zealand | (1999-11-18)18 November 1999(age 26) | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Overseas player |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| — | Phil Salt | England | (1996-08-26)26 August 1996(age 29) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Captain; England central contract |
| Pace bowlers | ||||||
| — | Tom Aspinwall | England | (2004-03-13)13 March 2004(age 22) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| — | Sam Cook | England | (1997-08-04)4 August 1997(age 28) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | |
| — | Lockie Ferguson | New Zealand | (1991-06-13)13 June 1991(age 34) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | Overseas player |
| — | Chris Woakes | England | (1989-03-02)2 March 1989(age 37) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | |
| Spin bowlers | ||||||
| — | Jafer Chohan | England | (2002-07-11)11 July 2002(age 23) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break |
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 | ||
| 2022 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8th | Did not progress | ||
| 2023 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 3rd | 1 | 3rd | |
| 2024 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 1st | 1 | 2nd | |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8th | Did not progress |
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 | |
| 2022 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8th | Did not progress | |
| 2023 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4th | Did not progress | |
| 2024 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6th | Did not progress | |
| 2025 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8th | Did not progress |
Notes
See also
- List of Welsh Fire cricketers
- List of cricket grounds in England and Wales
- List of Test cricket grounds
Further reading
- – covering the first draft signings for each region's team