THE HUNDRED CELEBRATES EDGBASTON SUCCESS
23rd August 2024
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The fast-paced 100-ball competition brought incredible crowds to the stadium, with more than 50,000 tickets sold across the four home fixtures. Birmingham Phoenix women’s team drew in the largest audience to any women’s match outside of London on Saturday 3 August, with more than 12,000 spectators attending on the day.

 

Nationally, The Hundred broke the record for total attendance at a women’s cricket tournament, with 320,000 fans attending games up and down the country. As a result, The Hundred made a significant step towards its goal of diversifying the sport, with more than a million sports fans attending women’s matches since the competition launched four years ago.

 

Adding to the women’s success, Ellyse Perry was named as the team’s highest run-scorer, a fantastic result for the captain after missing last season due to injury. The women’s team impressed fans with three victories overall, with the triumph over Southampton’s Southern Brave providing the most notable highlight.

 

 

Birmingham Phoenix men’s outstanding performance saw the team reach The Hundred Eliminator, facing off against Southern Brave on Saturday 17 August. Sadly, the team just missed out on a spot in the final in a Super Five over – the first in The Hundred’s history.

 

This year's team included world-class England players, featuring Moeen Ali as captain, alongside Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith and Liam Livingstone, as well as exciting local talent Jacob Bethell and Dan Mousley. The team delighted fans by winning six of their eight games, after placing sixth in 2023. Highlights include Ben Duckett scoring an incredible 269 runs, the second highest in this year’s tournament.

 

Moeen Ali, Birmingham Phoenix captain, said: “The Hundred was a highlight of the summer, yet again. Although we were disappointed to just miss out on the final, it was an honour to lead the team and we’re immensely proud of our performance. It was incredible to play in front of so many fans at Edgbaston – the atmosphere was unmatched! We’re already looking forward to next year and building on what we managed to achieve this summer.”

 

The Hundred aims to bring cricket to a larger, more diverse audience and 2024's statistics demonstrate that the competition is achieving just that. This year, 37% of attendees were completely new to cricket, more than a third of ticket buyers were female, and 41% were families.

 

In the lead up to the first game, Birmingham Phoenix set out to make cricket more accessible through a range of local community-focused events. From a trophy tour to interactive sessions around the city centre, children were given the chance to pick up a bat and have a go at cricket – many for the first time – with more than 3,000 kids taking part.

 

Birmingham Phoenix fan, NAME, commented: “The Hundred never disappoints and this summer was no different. We loved soaking up the buzz of Edgbaston while watching Birmingham Phoenix, being sat amongst a sea of vibrant orange shirts with everyone cheering on the teams. It’s always an amazing day out for everyone, with live music performances, entertainment for the kids, and of course the thrill of the cricket too.”

 

Sign up for priority access to secure your place at next year’s event of the summer: https://www.thehundred.com/register-2025

 

The Hundred tickets will go on sale in early 2025, and signing up is the best way to know first when you'll be able to buy yours.

 

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About the Author

Ian Henery

Member since: 4th February 2019

Presenter Black Country Radio & Black Country Xtra

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