Match no. 15 and the last league game of the 02 edition of the FairBreak Invitational had Falcons play Spirit at the Kowloon Cricket Club, Hong Kong. Spirit batting first got to a par score that Falcons chased down emphatically to register a thumping win.
1st innings: Spirit – 137/9 (20.0)
The side batting first had a good start with Sophia Dunkley striking well, but with 21 on board, Sarah Bryce on 1(5) departed. Shortly after, the side lost Bismah Maroof on 4(5) and Sophia’s start too then came to an end on 23(20) which saw the side 3 down for 28 in 5 overs. Kerry-Anne Tomlinson led the sides’ comeback with a gritty stay, while Nicola Carey, on the other end departed cheaply for 4(6) and Nensi Patel backed Kerry in scripting a comeback for the side.
The pair shared a 45-run stand that saw curtains with Nensi departing for 15 and Gargi Bhogle then joined Kerry who was the next to depart following a 20-run stand on 65(46) with 124 on board. Gargi’s late runs (14) guided the side to finish on 137 and Falcons with the ball had Chamari Athapaththu (3/9 off 4) and Sornnarin Tippoch lead the wickets chart with 3 each, while Suzie Bates, Jahanara Alam, and Anju Gurung followed with a scalp each.
2nd innings: Falcons – 140/1 (14.2)
The side in reply had Chamari Athapaththu and Danni Wyatt open the innings, and with the latter striking well, Chamari looked for odd boundaries and anchored the run chase. With 77 on board, the side lost its first in the 10th over with Chamari walking back on 35(32). Theertha Satish then walked in and accompanied a set Danni Wyatt.
MATCH 15:
✨ Player of the Match: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐭𝐡𝐮 👏 🙌
Her stellar, all-round performance was instrumental in Falcons’ victory over Spirit in their last group stage match 🤩#CricketTwitter #FairBreak #FBI23 pic.twitter.com/jBPIk5rkyB
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) April 12, 2023
At the end of 12 overs, Falcons were 1 down for 86 and Danni Wyatt was unbeaten on 39(31), and Wyatt then switched gears and teed off as she scored her next 37 runs off 10 balls finishing unbeaten on 76(41), alongside Theertha who made the maximum of her 14 balls having finished on 21*. In only 14.2 overs Falcons got to 140 for the loss of 1 wicket that was struck by Nensi Patel.
Result: Falcons won by 9 wickets
While it was another good game for the Falcons, it turned out to be a rare off day for the Spirit and skipper Nicola Carey who not often have looked such dull in the tournament. Both Falcons with 13 points and Spirit with 11.5 points have qualified for the playoffs where finishing 3rd and 4th respectively on the points table.
Falcons won by 9 Wickets
Spirit: 137-9 (20)
Kerry-Anne Tomlinson: 65 (46)
Sophia Dunkley: 23 (20)
Chamari Athapaththu: 3-9Falcons: 140-1 (14.2)
Danni Wyatt: 76* (41)
Chamari Athapaththu: 35 (32)
Nensi Patel: 1-6@kmanfalcons | #CricketTwitter #FairBreak #FBI23 pic.twitter.com/RznibKN2fX— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) April 12, 2023
