Jersey Cricketer Tribe Bought by Welsh Fire

Asa Tribe’s rapid ascent through the domestic game has landed the 21-year-old Jersey-born opener a £70,000 deal with Welsh Fire, guaranteeing him a first taste of The Hundred when the competition begins on 22 July.

Tribe entered Thursday’s live auction at the £31,000 base price, but a bidding duel between Welsh Fire and London Spirit pushed his valuation to more than double that figure before the Welsh franchise secured his signature. The left-hander will now divide his summer between Glamorgan duty at Sophia Gardens and the city-centre franchise that finished last season at the foot of the men’s standings.

The move caps a breakthrough 12 months for the youngster. Last September he hammered a maiden first-class double hundred for Glamorgan against Northamptonshire, a knock that helped secure promotion to Division One of the County Championship. That innings was the high point of a purple patch in which Tribe reeled off four centuries in six matches across county cricket and Jersey’s ICC Challenge League fixtures.

Although he represents Jersey on the international stage, Tribe remains eligible for England selection and underlined his credentials during the winter by top-scoring for an underwhelming England Lions outfit in Australia. His unbeaten 129 at Allan Border Field in Brisbane was a lone bright spot in an innings defeat to the hosts.

Listed by the BBC as one of five young men’s players to watch ahead of the auction, Tribe will line up alongside England luminaries Joe Root, Phil Salt, Chris Woakes and Jordan Cox, plus overseas stars Marco Jansen and Rachin Ravindra. Welsh Fire open their 2026 campaign away to Southern Brave on Wednesday, 22 July, with Tribe available for selection.