Welsh Fire Knocked Out of The Hundred Women's Competition as Sunrisers Leeds Win at Headingley

Welsh Fire's women's team were eliminated from The Hundred competition after Sunrisers Leeds beat them by six wickets at Headingley (BBC Sport).

The Hundred, for the uninitiated, is cricket's 100-ball-per-side format — each team faces 100 deliveries, split into ten-ball blocks rather than the traditional six-ball overs. Shorter than a T20 match, it is designed to move quickly and reward attacking play from the first ball.

Phoebe Litchfield was the standout performer for Sunrisers Leeds, scoring 55 runs to anchor the chase. Her innings gave the Leeds side a platform to overhaul Welsh Fire's total with six wickets in hand — meaning four batters were dismissed before the job was done, but the remaining pair saw it through without further alarm (BBC Sport).

For Welsh Fire, the defeat ended their tournament. Whatever path remained open to them before this match at Headingley — the home ground of Sunrisers Leeds, in the heart of Yorkshire — is now closed. They are out of The Hundred women's competition.

The match was played on Thursday 7 August 2025, according to the official match page on The Hundred's website (The Hundred). Headingley has been a productive venue for Sunrisers Leeds across the competition. The men's side recorded wins there by five runs on 25 July and by eight wickets on 28 July, while the women's team had already notched a seven-wicket victory at The Kia Oval in London on 21 July (The Hundred).

Welsh Fire's own season had shown flashes of quality. Their women's side had previously recorded a 60-run win at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on 25 July, and the men's team secured a 15-run victory on the same day at the same venue (The Hundred).

But tournament cricket is unforgiving. One result can swing a team from contention to elimination, and for Welsh Fire's women, this was the result that ended their campaign. Litchfield's composed 55 — an innings built on timing and placement rather than brute power — was the difference between the two sides.

For Sunrisers Leeds, the win keeps their tournament alive and adds to an already strong home record at Headingley. For Welsh Fire, there is only the flight home and the long wait until next season.