THE Hundred will return to the south coast in 2024 with the Southern Brave women looking to retain their title.
Both the Southern Brave men’s and women’s teams will begin their campaign in a double-header at the Utilita Bowl on Wednesday, July 24 against the London Spirit.
The Brave will host three more double-headers throughout the summer against Manchester Originals, Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire.
In 2023, Southern Brave’s women made it third time lucky, as they lifted the trophy for the first time, while the men almost emulated their success of 2021 by reaching the eliminator.
A record 580,000 fans were in venues across the Hundred in 2023, including over 300,000 in the women’s competition.
Southern Brave and England women's batter, Danni Wyatt is excited to play in front of such large crowds again.
She said: "I can’t wait for the Hundred. It’s such a fun competition to play in, and the crowds are getting better and better.
"You can really feel the difference at the Hundred in terms of the number of young people and families in the crowd.
"It’s done so much for the women’s game and the lift in both the profile and the standard of women’s cricket has been amazing.
"We were so happy to get over the line and win the Hundred last year and we really want to do it again in year four of the competition.”
The men's captain, James Vince also can not wait to get started in the competition he won in 2021.
He claimed: "As a team, we can’t wait to get started in front of our brilliant fans at Utilita Bowl on 24 July.
"I am sure the atmosphere will be electric, as it always is for Southern Brave matches. Hopefully, we can give our fans something to get really excited about on the pitch.”
The eliminator, where the second and third-placed teams compete for a place in the final, is confirmed for Saturday, August 17 at the Oval - with the final taking place a day later at Lords.
Southern Brave fixtures
Wednesday, July 24 - London Spirit (Utilita Bowl)
Tuesday, July 30 - Northern Superchargers (Headingley)
Thursday, August 1 - Manchester Originals (Utilita Bowl)
Saturday, August 3 - Birmingham Phoenix (Edgbaston)
Monday, August 5 - Welsh Fire (Sophia Gardens)
Thursday, August 8 - Oval Invincibles (Kia Oval)
Saturday, August 10 - Trent Rockets (Utilita Bowl)
Wednesday, August 14 - Welsh Fire (Utilita Bowl)
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here