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Match 27 | The Hundred Women’s Competition 2026 | Headingley, Leeds, England | Sunday, 9 August 2026
Sunrisers Leeds have built their whole season around Phoebe Litchfield’s explosive starts, while Welsh Fire’s hopes at Headingley rest on Heather Graham striking inside the first 25 balls. Whoever wins that early exchange likely decides Match 27. Litchfield already owns the fastest fifty in women’s Hundred history this year, and Graham has dismissed a set opener with her very first ball of a fresh spell before. Both camps know the powerplay settles this contest long before the closing overs even arrive.
Match 27 at Headingley turns on one simple question: can Welsh Fire’s opening attack remove Litchfield before she settles, or does Sunrisers Leeds ride her fast start to a total the visitors cannot chase down? Litchfield has faced pressure in the first 25 balls in every game this season and mostly walked away ahead.
Graham has answered that challenge directly, opening the bowling herself and hunting an early breakthrough rather than waiting for the batter to make a mistake. Neither side is interested in a cautious start, and that shared aggression is exactly what makes the opening exchange worth watching closely at Headingley this weekend.
Litchfield has scored 207 runs in six matches this season at an average of 41.40 and a strike rate above 153. Her powerplay numbers back up the reputation. She reached 22 inside the opening 25 balls against MI London, sat on 27 by the strategic timeout against MSG, and was on 19 at the same mark versus Trent Rockets.
The headline moment came against Birmingham Phoenix, where she raced to fifty off just 20 balls, the fastest half-century in women’s Hundred history, before finishing unbeaten on 71 from 33 deliveries. That innings alone tells Welsh Fire everything about the pace they need to match if they want to stay competitive.
Graham has taken seven wickets in five matches this season, with a bowling strike rate of 10.57 and an economy of roughly 7.21 runs per six balls. Her most recent form is sharper still, four wickets from two matches at a strike rate of exactly 10.
She opened the bowling against Southern Brave and struck with the very first delivery of her spell, removing Bouchier before the innings had settled. The side-by-side numbers below show why this individual battle carries so much weight heading into Sunday’s contest.
| Phoebe Litchfield (Batting) | Figure |
| Matches | 6 |
| Runs | 207 |
| Average | 41.40 |
| Strike Rate | 153.33 |
| Highest Score | 71* (33 balls) |
| Fastest Fifty | 20 balls |
| Heather Graham (Bowling) | Full Season | Recent Form |
| Matches | 5 | 2 |
| Wickets | 7 | 4 |
| Runs Per Ball | 1.20 | 0.95 |
| Bowling Strike Rate | 10.57 | 10.00 |
| Economy (per 6 balls) | 7.21 | 5.70 |
The wider bowling picture matters just as much as any single wicket. Welsh Fire conceded 31 runs for one wicket in their powerplay against Southern Brave, then leaked 50 without a breakthrough against Trent Rockets, their worst opening burst of the season by some distance.
Against Birmingham Phoenix, they tightened up again, giving away just 33 for one. Graham remains the bowler most likely to strike inside those first 25 balls, but Grace Potts has also shown promise, taking two wickets and bowling 13 dot balls in a full spell during the win over Southern Brave.
If Welsh Fire’s powerplay bowling holds firm this time, the equation at Headingley shifts entirely in their favour.
History leans toward the hosts. Sunrisers Leeds, playing under their previous Northern Superchargers name, beat Welsh Fire in both of their group-stage meetings on record, winning by 11 runs in 2022 and by 16 runs at Headingley in 2023.
A 2023 eliminator between the pair was abandoned due to rain, with Superchargers advancing on their superior group position instead. No results from 2021, 2024 or 2025 have been confirmed, but the pattern across verified matches favours the home side at this exact venue.
That trend puts extra weight on the Sunrisers Leeds vs Welsh Fire The Hundred 2026 New-Ball Duel, since a fast start from either camp could be the difference between extending that record and finally breaking it once and for all.
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Who is the leading run-scorer for Sunrisers Leeds this season?
Annabel Sutherland actually edges Litchfield on the season tally, with 208 runs to Litchfield’s 207. Sutherland reached that tally across ten innings at 69.33, well clear of Litchfield’s six-innings return.
What does Welsh Fire’s bowling attack look like this year?
Heather Graham leads the attack, sharing new-ball duties with Sophia Smale and Grace Potts. Georgia Wareham adds leg-spin variety, while Orla Prendergast has deputised since Sophie Devine’s calf injury.
When is the Sunrisers Leeds versus Welsh Fire fixture being played?
Match 27 of this year’s Hundred takes place on Sunday, 9 August. It marks the first meeting between the two women’s sides this season since the rebrand from Northern Superchargers.
Where is Match 27 of the competition being staged?
Headingley in Leeds hosts the contest, a ground where the home side has won every recorded meeting between these two teams. Both the 2022 and 2023 group-stage clashes went the hosts’ way there.
How has Heather Graham performed across the tournament so far?
Graham has taken six wickets in five matches at a runs-per-ball figure of 1.34 this season. Her sharpest spell came against Southern Brave, where four wickets in one outing won her player of the match.
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