Welsh Fire claim their fourth win in five matches in this season’s Hundred as a well-crafted half-century from Matt Short helps them defeat Southern Brave by six wickets in Cardiff.

MATCH REPORT: Superb Short half-century guides Fire past Brave

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OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens rookie right guard Vega Ioane had his sights on getting to the linebacker. Little did he know that Derrick Henry was beside him. The two collided, and Ioane experienced yet another learning moment during a summer that figures to be full of them.

“Welcome to the league, huh?” Ioane said after Monday’s practice. “That’s Derrick Henry right there. He’s a big running back — strong guy, phenomenal player, of course. I’m chasing after the linebacker, thinking I’m going to get him. We both end up on the ground. Now I know to stay out of his way.”

Despite the moment with Henry, Ioane, the team’s first-round pick out of Penn State, has proven to be a quick study. His teammates and coaches continue to rave about just how far along he is for a rookie. The Ravens typically make their rookies earn their ascent up the depth chart, but Ioane, touted as arguably the most plug-and-play-ready offensive lineman in April’s NFL Draft, has been the starter at right guard from the jump. He hasn’t looked out of place either.

The pads went on at Ravens training camp Monday, and Ioane, 22, delivered another solid practice. He held up well in one-on-one drills and created some holes in the run game.

“Vega is a stud, man,” Ravens right tackle Roger Rosengarten said Monday. “Coming out here, you can see pretty early on who can move really well and who has the demeanor to be a professional. Vega is a pro. Being with him and working on our combos, inside zone, outside zone, pass pro, I feel like I have been playing with the guy for three to four years. It is crazy. The way he moves, his balance, the way his contact balance is at the point of attack, his speed off the ball — I cannot speak highly enough of him. He has definitely made my job a lot better.”

Ravens head coach Jesse Minter has said repeatedly that Ioane is exactly who the Ravens thought they were getting when they made him the 14th overall pick. He’s shown his power, physicality and athleticism. He’s also impressed the coaching staff by not making the same mistake twice.

“He’s very smart,” said Ravens offensive line coach and run game coordinator Dwayne Ledford. “He understands the game up front. He’s done a really good job as far as understanding what we’re asking of him, especially at that position. He has some really good feet that allow him to do a lot of things up front that, (at) his size, is pretty special. He has a mindset where he’s trying to get better every day. To me, the sky’s the limit for him.”

Monday represented another step forward for Ioane, who said he hasn’t taken part in a padded practice in a long time.

“There are a lot of expectations that come with being a first-round pick,” Ioane said. “We come in here — we talk a lot about it in the team meeting room — ‘prove them right.’ That’s my whole goal out here. I’ve got to earn my keep, earn my spot out there. While I’m doing that, I’m trying to prove the staff right, prove the team right for picking me in the first round.”

Legitimate competition at center

When the Ravens signed center Ethan Pocic the week before training camp, it was widely assumed the 30-year-old veteran was the starter and Tyler Linderbaum replacement. Minter, however, cautioned that Danny Pinter, Jovaughn Gwyn and even Corey Bullock were still in the mix for the job.

Ledford took it even further Monday, saying he expects the center competition to last deep into training camp and the preseason.

“It’s going to take all of training camp,” Ledford said. “It will come down to probably that last week when we’re going into it, because I think all three of them are doing a really good job. We want to make sure we’re diligent in giving everybody the opportunity that’s here with it, because they are here for a reason — just make sure we get the right guy we want in there with that first group.”

Pinter, who has made 10 career starts, has taken the majority of starting reps at center since the offseason program began. That’s partly because Pocic is still working his way back from an Achilles injury that he sustained in December.

Offense struggles

There was plenty of buildup for the Ravens’ first padded practice of training camp, yet there weren’t many notable highlights from it. That’s partly because the Ravens’ passing game never found a rhythm.

Both Jackson and his primary backup, Tyler Huntley, struggled to create any chunk plays. Most of the Ravens’ completions came either on screens or short passes. The Ravens running backs Rasheen Ali and Adam Randall did pop a few long runs, but there were few such big plays in the passing game.

“It’s the fifth practice,” Minter said. “You are installing on both sides, and there is always going to be back and forth in training camp. (We’ll) look at the tape; there will probably be some good plays on both sides, some good runs that hit where, who knows if we would have made the tackle or not.”

More camp notes

• Minter said veteran offensive tackle Hakeem Adeniji decided to step away from football for a “personal” matter. The Ravens placed Adeniji on the reserve/retired list Sunday, and Minter said the team will fill his spot on the 90-man roster in the coming days.

• Defensive end Calais Campbell and nose tackle John Jenkins were each in uniform for the first time during training camp. The veterans took part in warmups and some individual drills before heading inside. The Ravens have given Campbell some time to get back into football mode after the tragic death of his mother last month. Jenkins had been on the physically unable to perform list with an undisclosed injury. With those two back, the only three players not practicing were Bullock (non-football illness list), inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan (PUP) and nose tackle Travis Jones (PUP).

• For the first time this training camp, the Ravens conducted a one-on-one session between pass catchers and defensive backs. Zay Flowers got things started and spurred probably the loudest roar of the day by beating Marlon Humphrey on a double move and catching a long touchdown. Humphrey was called for pass interference on the play, too. Rookie third-round receiver Ja’Kobi Lane also caught a deep ball on veteran cornerback Chidobe Awuzie.

• Tight end Mark Andrews and safety Kyle Hamilton, two of the more intense Ravens on the practice field, are frequently matched up against one another, which tends to produce some chatter. That started relatively early in practice when Andrews drew a pass interference penalty in the end zone. Andrews barked at Hamilton while the safety was on the ground. The two continued bantering during the water break, but that conversation seemed much more light-hearted.

• There weren’t too many highlights from the passing game, but rookie tight end Matt Hibner took a screen pass for a nice gain, then caught a touchdown pass a few plays later. Hibner, a fourth-round rookie, has been a bit more consistent than fellow rookie tight end Josh Cuevas, a fifth-round selection, through the first five practices.

• Second-year guard/tackle Emery Jones Jr. and second-year nose tackle C.J. Okoye were involved in some extracurricular activity early in practice and seemed to be getting under each other’s skin. Cooler heads prevailed, however.

• Former Ravens Justin Forsett and Chris Chester watched Monday’s practice. Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz was also on the sideline with his family. Albernaz has developed a friendship with Minter over the past couple of months.

The Hundred men’s competition, Sophia Gardens

Southern Brave 115-8 (100 balls): Stoinis 55 (39); Cook 3-14

Welsh Fire 116-4 (95 balls): Short 60* (41); Archer 2-19

Welsh Fire won by six wickets

Scorecard. Table

Welsh Fire claimed their fourth win in five matches in this season’s Hundred as a well-crafted half-century from Matt Short helped them defeat Southern Brave by six wickets in Cardiff.

Chasing 116, the home side lost captain Phil Salt early but a 56-run stand between Joe Root and Short provided them the platform to win on a tricky surface at Sophia Gardens.

Chris Jordan dismissed Root for 17 before Rachin Ravindra followed him for a duck to hand Brave hope of a way back into the contest.

Jordan Cox became the third Fire wicket to fall in the space of 10 runs but Short’s composed innings ensured there was no collapse.

Still requiring more than a run a ball, Short scooped Jofra Archer for six to bring up his fifty from 37 balls before combining with Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who hit an unbeaten 23, to guide Fire over the line with five balls remaining.

Earlier, Brave endured a nightmare start after they were sent out to bat first as openers Jamie Smith and Ben McKinney were dismissed without opening their accounts.

With wickets falling around him regularly, Marcus Stoinis proved Brave’s lone source of resistance against the Fire bowlers as the Australian all-rounder struck 55 from 39 balls before falling to Sam Cook, who returned figures of 3-14.

Nikhil Chaudhary struggled for his 18 and David Miller added 21 from 17 balls late on but no other Brave batter reached double figures as the visitors limped to 115-8.

While Fire moved level on 16 points with Trent Rockets at the top of the table, Brave remain fourth, with two wins, having played six matches.