Marcus Stoinis has come out on top against friend and Australia teammate Adam Zampa as English cricket's controversial The Hundred competition embarked on its second season.

Not that No.3 Stoinis needed to do much. The allrounder made a careful six off eight balls and only bowled one set of five balls, for eight runs, as Southern Brave thrashed Welsh Fire by nine wickets.

He did, though, avoid being dismissed by Zampa whose 15 balls went for 20 runs without reward.

Brave skipper James Vince, a two-time Big Bash League winner with Sydney Sixers, scored 71 not out off 41 balls as Brave chased the target with 31 balls left.

Fire, who were without star batter Jonny Bairstow, who withdrew from the tournament to rest ahead of the Test series with South Africa, made an inadequate 7-207 from their 100 balls.

Aussie veteran Michael Hogan took 1-7 off ten balls, picking up the key wicket of Tom Banton.

Only Ben Duckett, with 40, made runs of note though Zampa made a useful unbeaten run-a-ball ten at the end of Fire's innings.

England bowlers Chris Jordan and Craig Overton took 2-16 and 2-21 off 15 and 20 balls respectively.

Ryan Higgins dropped Vince for one in the first over, the ball going for four, and the night did not get any better for Fire as Vince cracked eight fours and a six at Southampton's Ageas Bowl.

The Hundred is the England and Wales Cricket Board's attempt at developing a new format attractive to broadcasters and 'new' cricket fans, especially young ones and families. Among the innovations balls are bowled in 'sets' of five, not overs of six.

However, it has proved bitterly divisive as it features eight city-based franchises rather than the traditional 18 counties, the future of some of which many feel it threatens. The ECB has also invested huge sums into it.

In a new twist on the schism, England captain Ben Stokes tweeted in response to a survey of county members showing strong resistance to mooted plans to reduce red-ball county cricket - allowing for more white-ball: 'Ab-so-bloody-lutely'.