Welsh Fire announce retained players on Deadline Day

• Welsh Fire men’s and women’s teams confirm returning players for fourth year of The Hundred 

• The Hundred Draft powered by Sage to take place at The Shard on Wednesday 20 March  

• First Sophia Gardens game to be played on Sunday 28 July, double-header against Oval Invincibles 

• For more information and to sign up for priority ticket access visit thehundred.com  

Jonny Bairstow, Tammy Beaumont, Haris Rauf and Hayley Matthews will all be back in action at Sophia Gardens in The Hundred next season with Welsh Fire confirming the retention of 19 players on Deadline Day. 

International trio Sophia Dunkley, Shabnim Ismail and Georgia Elwiss are among the names who’ll be back in action for Fire, as well as David Willey and Joe Clarke. 

Across both the Welsh Fire men’s and women’s teams, 19 players have been retained in total, meaning eight spots remain to be filled at The Hundred Draft powered by Sage. 

The Hundred Draft, powered by Sage, will take place at The Shard on Wednesday 20 March, live-streamed from 5.30pm on thehundred.com, YouTube and TikTok. Each team will take it in turns to select domestic and overseas players to complete their squads. 

Welsh Fire’s season in the fourth year of The Hundred gets underway at Emirates Old Trafford on Thursday 25 July, one of 68 games that promise world class men’s and women’s sporting action, live music, and a host of family-friendly entertainment. 

Tammy Beaumont and Tom Abell will lead out their respective women’s and men’s teams for their home opener at Sophia Gardens against Oval Invincibles on Sunday 28 July. 

Retained Players 

Welsh Fire Women: Hayley Matthews (O), Sophia Dunkley, Shabnim Ismail (O), Tammy Beaumont, Georgia Elwiss, Sarah Bryce, Freya Davies, Emily Windsor 

Welsh Fire Men: Jonny Bairstow, David Willey, Joe Clarke, Haris Rauf (O), Tom Abell, Glenn Phillips (O), David Payne, Luke Wells, Roelof Van der Merwe, Stephen Eskinazi, Chris Cooke

David Willey said: “Last year was my first season with the Welsh Fire and I really enjoyed my time in Cardiff. The management put together a great group of guys who really enjoyed playing for each other so I’m delighted to be back again for this years Hundred.

The support for the Welsh Fire grew last year and hopefully that continues this year, make Cardiff a fortress for us! I think the team made big strides forward in 2023 and we’re looking forward to building on that and hopefully making the KO stages of the competition!”

Welsh Fire Women’s captain Tammy Beaumont said: “We had a great tournament last year, making the Eliminator, so it is really exciting that we have managed to keep hold of eight of that squad. The Hundred is a great tournament to play in and the competition was incredibly tight in 2023. I’m confident we can add some more talent in The Hundred Draft and our big aim is going further this season and making it all the way.”

A record 580,000 fans were in attendance across The Hundred last season, including over 300,000 in the women’s competition. The Hundred’s blend of high-quality sport and entertainment saw 41% of all tickets sold to families, 23% to juniors and 30% to women.  

From 13-27 March there will be an exclusive window open to buy tickets for fans who have previously attended The Hundred. There will be a priority window open from 9-23 April for all fans who sign up in advance at thehundred.com. 

The general sale period begins from 25 April.   

Tickets are once again great value, with prices set at £5 for juniors aged 3-15 (free for under 3s) and adults starting from £11. 

All games will again be live on Sky Sports and BBC broadcast and digital channels throughout the competition.  

To stay up to date with the latest news, buy tickets or to sign up for priority access, visit thehundred.com or follow The Hundred, and the eight teams, on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.  

ENDS  

Notes to Editors 

About The Hundred:  

The Hundred is an action-packed, unmissable cricket competition that fuses world-class cricket with blockbuster entertainment.  

Combining a short, fast format of cricket, with each game lasting less than three hours, and incredible entertainment beyond the sport, The Hundred is making cricket more accessible and reaching a broader audience. It’s simple: 100 balls per team, most runs wins, so every ball counts.  

The Hundred features eight teams from seven cities, with men’s and women’s competitions taking place side by side:  Welsh Fire (Cardiff), Southern Brave (Southampton), Northern Superchargers (Leeds), London Spirit, Trent Rockets (Nottingham), Oval Invincibles (London), Manchester Originals and Birmingham Phoenix. Each teams features some of the best international and domestic cricketers from around the world, including England Men’s & Women’s World Cup winners.  

About The Hundred Draft powered by Sage:  

More information about The Hundred Draft powered by Sage is available here. 

About The Hundred fixtures:  

The Hundred fixtures are available here.