Our women’s teams fought hard this weekend but with a number of players in both grades unavailable, both teams went down in close losses. First Grade started well but ultimately couldn’t recover from four run-outs wiping out their middle order. It was a remarkably similar script playing out for second grade with a brace of runouts ripping their top order to shreds!
It was just one of those days…!
First grade vs Sunshine Coast
After winning the toss and opting to bat, the Westies made a great start against the Sunshine Coast at Graceville Memorial Park with Annie Wikman and Naiya Varidel putting on 69 for the opening stand before Naiya was dismissed for 27 in the nineteenth over.
Lightning struck twice soon after with both Isabel Goffage and Layal Proctor being run out. Emma Lockwood and Annie pushed the score to 93 before Emma was also run out. A fourth runout completed the boxed set when Tammy Cole departed the scene with the score on 124. Annie following shortly after for a classy 77, but the wickets continued to fall and the team was eventually dismissed for 147.
Wests bowling innings began well with two wickets to Ash Sims and one to Liv Steel having the Sunshine Coast 3/18. Three thirty-run partnerships terminated by wickets to Olivia Hartland, Naiya and Jess Bryant followed which kept both teams in the hunt. At that point the Sunnie Coast were 6/106 with 42 runs to get and the match was evenly poised. A wicket to Jess Bryant in the 33rd over with 31 still in deficit kept the Dogs hopes alive, but the Sunshine Coast gradually wrested the upper hand. A final wicket to Liv Steel with the scores just five runs apart provided a final spark for Wests, but the Sunshine Coast girls put the game to rest soon after.
The result leaves Wests in second position on the Katherine Raymont Shield One-Day ladder, and means the girls will take on the Sunshine Coast again in a re-match semi-final at Graceville next Sunday.
Key individual stats:
- Annie Wikman 77 (101)
- Naiya Varidel 24 (52) & 1/25 (6)
- Olivia Steel 2/27 (6.2)
- Ashleigh Sims 2/36 (10)
- Jess Bryant 2/35 (7)
- Olivia Hartland 1/12 (4)
Second Grade vs Valleys
With a large number of our second grade players unavailable or playing first grade, a very young line-up presented for the final round of the women’s second grade season.
Wests opening bowlers Lilli Hamilton and Sophie Martin got Wests bowling innings off to a great start with some disciplined overs, and they finished with two wickets apiece. Ky Crump contributed some restrictive mid-innings overs and Deepika Bogahawatta and Holly Walker also bowled very well. Lacey Kennedy snared the fourth wicket and Bec McCoombes and Lilli Hamilton combined with keeper Scarlett Varidel for two runouts.
For the second week running though, the girl’s bowling efforts were stymied by big batting innings by a single opposition players, this time Valleys opener E Swanepoel who chalked up 78 before Sophie Martin bowled her.
Wests batting innings began disastrously with openers Tanvi Aiyar and captain Scarlett Varidel both runout and No.3 Lilli Hamilton departing second delivery to leave them at 3/5 in just the third over. The team rallied around the efforts of Ky Crump (12 off 23) and Sophie Martin (26 off 63) and stoic rear-guard fighting by Holly, Lacey Kennedy and Deepika, but the catastrophic early loss of fire-power eventually told and Wests innings closed 28 short of the target.
The girls finished their season with nine wins from seventeen games, a massive improvement on last season and a credit to the players and their hard-working coach George Seaward.
Great work, ladies. Women’s cricket at Wests is on the rise! Rest up for the off-season, because 2021-22 is going to be MASSIVE!!
Key individual stats:
- Sophie Martin 26 (63) & 2/15 (8)
- Kyrna Crump 12 (23)
- Deepika Bogahawatta 11* (36)
- Lilli Hamilton 2/17 (8)
- Lacey Kennedy 1/12 (3)
