Queensland Fire led by skipper Georgia Redmayne and New South Wales Breakers led by skipper Georgia Adams were arguably the two best teams of the recently concluded 29th edition of the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL). The Fire topped the table in the league stages with 35.5 points in 12 games with 8 victories, and on the other hand, Breakers were placed 2nd with 33 points, coming off 8 victories for them in the league stages of the tournament. As a result of their top two finish, these two teams were up against each other in the grand finale.
Anika Learoyd’s 80 takes New South Wales Breakers to a fighting 215
The Breakers lost the wicket of their opening batter Tahlia Wilson for a duck, after skipper Georgia Adams won the toss and opted to bat first. Anika Learoyd joined Elsa Hunter at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 40-run partnership for the 2nd wicket. Lucy Hamilton picked up the wicket of Elsa Hunter (17 off 21 balls) to provide the crucial 2nd breakthrough for Queensland.
Skipper Georgia Adams soon followed her back to the pavilion to provide the 3rd breakthrough for the Georgia Redmayne-led side. Claire Moore joined Anika Learoyd at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 87-run partnership for the 4th wicket to take their side closer to the 150-run mark. Charli Knott broke the stand by removing Claire Moore (33 off 60 balls) to provide the much-needed 4th breakthrough for Queensland Fire.
The Breakers suffered a collapse as they lost their last six wickets for just 67 runs and as a result, were bundled out for 215 with two overs to spare. Anika Learyod (80 off 110 balls) was the stand-out performer with the bat for New South Wales Breakers. Grace Parsons (10-3-29-3), and Lucy Hamilton (10-0-57-3) picked up three wickets each, while Charli Knott (9-0-33-2) and Nicola Hancock (8-0-41-2) played their part with the ball for the Queensland Fire.
Georgia Redmayne’s 97 in vain as Breakers clinch title in a thrilling finish
Chasing a target of 216, Fire lost the wicket of their opening batter Lucy Bourke in the 3rd over of the run chase. Lauren Cheatle provided the first breakthrough for the New South Wales Breakers. A 20-run partnership for the 2nd wicket between Charli Knott and skipper Georgia Redmayne led some sort of a recovery before Lauren Chealte returned and claimed her 2nd wicket of the day by removing Charli Knott in the 7th over of the run chase.
Sianna Ginger joined Redmayne at the crease and the duo took their side closer to the 150-run mark with a much-needed 106-run partnership for the 3rd wicket to bring the momentum back into their run chase. Sammy-Jo Johnson cleaned up Sianna Ginger to provide the much-needed 3rd breakthrough for the Breakers. After the departure of Sianna Ginger, the Fire kept losing wickets at regular intervals and eventually fell 21 runs short of the target as they were bundled out for 194, with 19 balls to spare.
Skipper Georgia Redmayne’s (97 off 122 balls) dismissal, an unlucky one, was a big moment in the game. Sianna Ginger (36 off 60 balls) was one of the top performers alongside Redmayne with the bat for Queensland Fire. Sammy-Jo Johnson (10-0-36-2), skipper Georgia Adams (9-0-33-2), and Lauren Cheatle (8-2-32-2) picked up a couple of wickets each with the ball for New South Wales Breakers.
Anika Learoyd (80 off 110 balls) was awarded the Player of the Match in the WNCL final for her impactful performance with the bat for New South Wales Breakers, while teammate Tahlia Wilson was awarded the Player of the Tournament for her sensational performances throughout the tournament, ending the season as the leading run-scorer with 667 runs at a strike rate of 85.29 and an impressive average of 55.58 in 13 innings with the bat for her side.
