Southern Brave romped to a comfortable nine-wicket win over Welsh Fire, the bowlers setting the tone with Tymal Mills getting only the second hat-trick in the Men’s Hundred.
That came off the final three balls of the Welsh Fire innings as they fell to 87 all out, the pattern started with returning England star Jonny Bairstow falling early for a four-ball duck.
Craig Overton took two early wickets for the Brave, including Bairstow, while George Garton took three for eight runs off 15 balls through the middle of the innings to block any momentum for the home side, Mills finishing with four wickets in all.
Stephen Eskinazi’s 38 was the only bright spot in a target easily chased down by Southern Brave, Finn Allen out for 31 before Devon Conway, 35 not out, and Leus du Plooy, 17 not out, saw them through to victory with 41 balls spare.
Welsh Fire could not have got off to a much worse start, losing Ashes hero Jonny Bairstow cheaply in his first game for them this season.
He tried to hit Craig Overton over mid off, but was caught off the mis-timed shot without scoring, with Overton getting bounce and movement to also dismiss captain Tom Abell, caught behind by Devon Conway.
Joe Clarke also went for a duck, caught Conway off the bowling of George Garton, and when Tymal Mills dismissed Glenn Phillips with his first ball, giving Conway a third catch, Welsh Fire were in deep trouble at 34 for 4 after 41 balls.
David Willey’s cameo of 16 was also ended by Overton, this time with a sliding catch in the deep off the bowling of Garton.
While everyone else was losing their head, the player keeping his at the other end was opener Stephen Eskinazi who plotted his way to 38 off 24 balls.
However, when he was also out, skying the ball off Garton, Welsh Fire were running out of options.
In the first game between these two sides, the Brave had been in even deeper trouble before Chris Jordan played a match-winning innings, but Fire had no equivalent as the lower order slipped away.
It fell to Mills to take a hat-trick with the last three balls of the innings as Welsh fire fell short of three figures, needing their bowlers to produce something remarkable to save the game.
The player with the best chance of doing that was Pakistan opening bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi and he delivered an effective opening five balls that did everything other than pick up a wicket for Fire.
David Willey’s first two balls then went for 10 as Brave opener Finn Allen started to find his range before falling, caught on the long on boundary by Willey off the bowling of David Payne for 31.
Welsh Fire tried seven bowlers, but there was little pressure on Devon Conway and Leus du Plooy as they knocked off the winning runs with great ease.
