By James Skeldon
England international and BBC broadcaster Alex Hartley is full of optimism ahead of Welsh Fire’s opening match against Birmingham Phoenix at Sophia Gardens on Saturday.
The left-arm spinner is making her second appearance in The Hundred tournament, but this season she has swapped her Manchester Originals jersey for Welsh Fire.
She insists she has hit the ground running with her new squad, beginning with some team bonding.
“I absolutely love it. The girls have been brilliant, said Hartley.
“First night here was Sunday for me and we all went for dinner and had a nice evening so I’ve settled in really well.”
Hartley is one of several new faces for a new-look Welsh Fire this season and she is relishing the chance to play in a new environment.
“We had a team night last night where we all got to know each other. You’ve got to get used to these franchise tournaments where there are players coming in and out.
“The bulk of the girls were here last year so they’ve showed us the ropes.
“It’s been brilliant and it’s good to have the Aussies in as well because I can learn so much off them.”
The men’s campaign kicked off last week but Hartley thinks that the combined effect of the tournament will really begin when the double-headers start this weekend.
She says that the men’s matches have, “felt like warm up games before we get back to the real deal with the double-headers.
“The fans have been amazing, the fireworks, everything about this competition I love and we’ve had some really close games.”
Welsh Fire, having finished bottom of the table in last summer’s women’s tournament will be keen to start well, but they face a tough opening fixture against Birmingham Phoenix, who, on paper, look as though they have one of the strongest teams in the tournament.
They boast the likes of Australian legend Ellyse Perry as well as England’s premier quick bowler, Issy Wong. Hartley, though, is not shirking the challenge.
“To play against players like that is a fantastic opportunity,” said the left-armer.
“I’m really looking forward to this being my home ground.”
Slowly making my way through all the team kits! Ready to go in red!
Can’t wait to take the field with @Tan_Cymreig tomorrow! And find some @HulaHoopsUK for our overseas players to try!#thehundred #welshfire #hulahoops #womenscricket pic.twitter.com/N79nmGfL5H
— Tammy Beaumont (@Tammy_Beaumont) August 12, 2022
Welsh Fire came into being through an affiliation between Glamorgan, Gloucestershire and Somerset. Originally, they were going to be called Western Fire, but the decision was changed to brand the team as distinctively Welsh and although results for both the men’s and women’s sides were not overly impressive, the branding and the supporter take-up after Covid restrictions were lifted last summer, was impressive.
“Fresh year, fresh start. We’ve got a whole new group of players and a whole new head coach,” adds Hartley.
“We’ve just got to draw a line in the sand and move on from last year. We’re here to win and to compete.
“Nobody wants to finish last and unfortunately it was Welsh Fire last year.
“But we couldn’t have big crowds last year so I’m looking forward to the people of Wales coming to watch us play cricket.
“Every game’s a tough game. We’re going to turn up and go for the win. They’ve got an incredible side but so do we.
“We played two warm-up games the other day. They didn’t go too well, but hopefully we’ve got them out the way and we can move forward.”