George Garton's spectacular spell brings Southern Brave back on the winning track
Southern Brave won last night [PC: Twitter]
Riding on George Garton's terrific new ball spell and Paul Stirling's magnificent knock at the top, Southern Brave annihilated Welsh Fire by nine wickets in the 22nd fixture of the ongoing Men's Hundred competition.
Garton's spell restricts Welsh to a meagre total
After being invited to bat first, Welsh Fire got off to a miserable start, as George Garton dismantled their top order, picking three wickets within the first seven deliveries.
George Garton in action [PC: Twitter]
The Fire couldn't recover from these early blows and managed only 129 runs on the board. Leus du Plooy and Matthew Critchley were the only shining lights from Welsh Fire, garnering 37 and 32* runs respectively.
While Garton picked three wickets conceding just seven runs, James Fuller emerged as Brave's second best bowler, picking two wickets for 31 runs.
Stirling's knock powered the Brave to the victory
Chasing just 130 runs against Welsh Fire's depleted bowling unit was not going to be a difficult task for Southern Brave.
Paul Stirling [PC: Twitter]
However, Paul Stirling's blistering inning further eased their chase. The experienced Irish opener stroked ten fours and two gigantic sixes for his 42-ball 74*, playing a significant role in the much-needed victory of the defending champions.
Quinton de Kock also amazed the spectators with his batting, hammering five classical fours for his run-a-ball 37.
Dwaine Pretorius was Welsh Fire's best bowler, scalping one wicket for 20 runs.
Brief Scores
Welsh Fire: 129/8 (100b)
Leus du Plooy 37 (25), Matthew Critchley 32* (19);
George Garton 3/7 (15b), James Fuller 2/31 (20b)
Southern Brave: 132/1 (82b)
Paul Stirling 74* (42), Quinton de Kock 37 (37);
Dwaine Pretorius 1/20 (20b)
Southern Brave won by nine wickets.
 "Debashis Sarangi")
