The defending champions, led by the skipper Lauren Cheatle, were up against Victoria in the 2nd game of Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) 2025-26. The runners-up of the previous edition, Queensland Fire, started their campaign on a high note with a dominant 64-run win against Western Australia.
Newly appointed NSW skipper Lauren Cheatle won the toss and took the opportunity to unleash a determined bowling unit first up. The Victorian openers, Mia Perrin and Nicole Faltum, got their side off to a cautious start, with a 17-run opening partnership. Skipper Lauren Cheatle exploited the gap between the bat and pad to shatter Nicole Faltum’s (11 off 26 balls) stumps, providing the first breakthrough for her side in the powerplay.
Ella Hayward joined Mia Perrin at the crease, and the duo took a bit more proactive approach to take their side closer to the 50-run mark. Samantha Bates enticed Mia Perrin (20 off 27 balls) to shuffle down the track, leading to a mistimed short, which ended her stay at the crease in the 13th over, to provide the 2nd breakthrough for New South Wales.
Sophie Reid had to retire hurt mid-way, as the New South Wales bowlers continued to chip away with wickets at regular intervals. The former Australian skipper Meg Lanning, knocking off her own leg bail, in trying to play the cut shot against Samantha Bates, didn’t help matters for Victoria, as she made the furious walk back to the pavilion, providing the 4th breakthrough for New South Wales against the run of play, in the 25th over of the innings.
Skipper Rhys McKenna joined Hasrat Gill at the crease, and the duo stitched a crucial 33-run partnership for the 5th wicket, which also took them past the 120-run mark. Caoimhe Bray provided a massive breakthrough as she ended Hasrat Gill’s (34 off 55 balls) ominous stay at the crease in the 33rd over to provide the 5th breakthrough for her side.
Gill’s departure led to a dramatic collapse as they eventually got bundled out for 181, with 11 balls to spare, losing their last five wickets for just 60 runs. Handy contributions from Zoe Samuel (22 off 32 balls), Sasha Moloney (15 off 20 balls), and Sophie Day (10 off 28 balls) propelled them closer to the 200-run mark. The New South Wales bowling unit had a dream day as the exploits were shared: Samantha Bates (10-0-27-2), skipper Lauren Cheatle (9-1-24-2), Caoimhe Bray (7-1-29-2), and Sarah Coyte (7.1-1-36-2) picked up a couple of wickets each with the ball for their side.
A total of 182 looked on par, especially with the kind of bowling-friendly surface that was on offer. Now it was the turn for the Victorian bowlers to exploit the conditions in their favour. The New South Wales openers Katie Mack and Tahlia Wilson got their side off to a flying start, with a 20-run opening stand, giving early impressions of the pitch settling down.
Georgia Prestwidge broke the opening stand by sending a lethal Katie Mack (18 off 12 balls) back to the pavilion in the 3rd over of the run chase, providing the first breakthrough for Victoria. New South Wales lost half their side inside the first 20 overs of the run chase. Georgia Adams joined Lauren Kua at the crease, and the duo led some sort of a recovery with a much-needed 31-run partnership for the 6th wicket, which also took them past the 100-run mark.
Ella Hayward broke the stand, by sending Lauren Kua (20 off 56 balls) back to the pavilion in the 30th over of the run chase to provide the crucial 6th breakthrough for Victoria. New South Wales also lost their skipper, Lauren Cheatle (10 off 16 balls), in the 36th over of the innings to provide the 7th breakthrough for Victoria.
Caoimhe Bray (28* off 37 balls) joined former skipper Georgia Adams (45* off 79 balls) at the crease, and they were the last recognised pair for their side. As a result, the onus was on them to not only weather the storm but also keep them alive in the run chase. The pair did exactly what the doctor ordered; they not just survived the tricky phase but also guided their side over the line with an unbeaten 53-run partnership for the 8th wicket, to guide them over the line with 3 wickets in hand and 23 balls to spare.
Anika Learoyd (20 off 31 balls) played her part with the bat for her side. Georgia Prestwidge (6-0-21-2) and Ella Hayward (10-0-36-2) were the star performers with the ball for Victoria. Zoe Samuel (6-0-19-1) and Sophie Day (9-0-51-1) played their part with the ball. Georgia Adams was awarded the Player of the Match for her crucial knock (45* off 79 balls) under pressure for her side.
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