Stoinis and Stubbs Stall Rockets' March as Southern Brave Strike in The Hundred
Southern Brave beat Trent Rockets by six wickets in the 29th match of The Hundred Men's Competition 2026, slowing the Rockets' progress towards the final and leaving them facing a nervous wait for confirmation of their place. BBC Sport
Trent Rockets posted 158 for 5 from their 100 balls — a competitive total in a format where each side faces a fixed 100 deliveries, broken into sets of five. BBC Sport But Southern Brave chased it down with four wickets in hand, powered by a half-century from Tristan Stubbs and an excellent supporting innings from Marcus Stoinis. BBC Sport
Stubbs, the 25-year-old South African, was confirmed as a direct signing for Southern Brave ahead of the 2026 season, along with Stoinis — the Australian all-rounder who has already proven his value in this campaign with a 55-off-39-ball innings against Welsh Fire. ECB Both players were part of a high-profile recruitment drive that saw £950k deducted from Brave's auction budget to secure their services. ECB
Stoinis has been one of Brave's standouts across the tournament. Before this match, he had also contributed with the ball, taking 2-16 against Birmingham Phoenix — dismissing Joe Clarke and Laurie Evans — in a win that lifted Brave off the foot of the table. BBC Sport
For fans of the shorter format, Stubbs' innings will have carried a familiar thrill. The Hundred's own video archive preserves the moment he hit four consecutive sixes in the 2022 edition — a burst that announced him as one of the most destructive young batters in franchise cricket. The Hundred
The wider context of this result matters as much as the performance. Trent Rockets had been cruising towards the final; this defeat checked that momentum and opened the door for rivals. Welsh Fire had already moved level on 16 points with the Rockets at the top of the table after beating Southern Brave earlier in the competition. BBC Sport The Rockets now face an anxious wait to see whether their position holds.
Southern Brave, meanwhile, continue to build. Their campaign has included a stirring win at Lord's where Jofra Archer took season-best figures of 4-9 against London Spirit. BBC Sport With Stoinis and Stubbs firing and the bowling unit clicking, Brave are finding form at the pointy end of the tournament.
For the Rockets, the equation is simple: they need results elsewhere to go their way. For Brave, this win is a statement that their recruitment and their rhythm are aligning at the right time.
