Make that a triple!

Wests women’s teams went one better this weekend with three emphatic wins in three games!

First grade won both of their T20 games against UQ and Gold Coast, and second grade won their opening game of the season against UQ. Big wins all round, and Wests’ women’s teams remain unbeaten for the season so far!

First Grade – T20 vs UQ and T20 vs Gold Coast

First up, our first grade women played UQ at Cheltenham Oval on the Gold Coast and racked up 4/151 in their 20 overs with Grace Harris (78) and Courtney Sippel (41no) being the major contributors.

In reply UQ pushed their score to 40 for the loss of their openers to Holly Ferling and Courtney Sippel, but then lost 4 bats in quick succession to off-spinner Ash Sims (who took two in the sixth over), Sam Betts and a runout to Olivia Steel and to slump to 6/54. Their scoring slowed dramatically from that point. Olivia Hartland captured her first wicket for the season in her second over and leggie Naiya Varidel reeled in a sharp caught-and-bowled in the twelfth to have Uni in deep trouble at 8/75. Ash Sims ran out the the ninth batswoman before pacewoman Courtney Sippel took the final wicket in the final over and secured a big 58-run victory.

The girls played Gold Coast in their second match for the day, bowling first this time. Wests made early in-roads, taking their first wicket in the second over and rapidly reducing their opposition to 5/26 in the seventh over. The Gold Coast innings survived only until the fourteenth over when they were dismissed for 46 runs. Honours were again shared evenly between Wests bowlers with every bowler used taking at least one wicket.

Wests make quick work of the run chase, overhauling the target in just 6.3 overs. Openers Josie Dooley and Naiya Varidel took the score to 39 off just 5 overs before both fell in rapid succession, leaving Holly Ferling and Tammy Cole to take Wests home to a comprehensive 8-wicket win.

Individual stats vs UQ:

• Ashleigh Sims 2/7 (3)
• Courtney Sippel 2/9 (2.4) & 41no (37)
• Olivia Hartland 1/10 (2)
• Samantha Betts 1/10 (2)
• Naiya Varidel 1/12 (2)
• Holly Ferling 1/25 (4)
• Grace Harris 78 (55)
• Josie Dooley 20 (20)

Individual stats vs Gold Coast:

• Ashleigh Sims 2/12 (2)
• Courtney Sippel 2/5 (3)
• Samantha Betts 2/7 (3)
• Olivia Steel 1/0 (1)
• Grace Harris 1/1 (1.1)
• Holly Ferling 1/25 (4) & 9no (6)
• Josie Dooley 27 (18)
• Naiya Varidel 11 (13)

Second Grade vs UQ

Wests women’s second grade team scored a big win over UQ in their opening Jodie Fields Shield one-day game of the season.

The win was a massive turn-around from the girls nine-wicket loss against the same team in a pre-season practice match just two weeks ago.

Wests batted first and accumulated runs steadily to finish with 3/117 from their 40 overs. Opener Kinjal Dani batted through the innings and remained undefeated at the end with 38 runs off 108 deliveries. The total was an improvement on recent outings (through last season), but was still a difficult aggregate to defend…

…but defend it they did with sharp fielding and brilliant bowling! Wests opening bowlers did early damage with pacewoman Erin Moran and spinner Lilli Hamilton (on debut for Wests) and a slick runout to Isabel Hartog combining with keeper Scarlett Varidel reducing Uni to 4/15 after 5 overs. Lilli Hamilton two two more in two balls in the eighth over and Jess Bryant captured another from her second ball to have the UQ girls in all sorts of bother at 7/17 in the ninth over.

Uni then dug in and took their score to 50 before Sophie Martin took two wickets in her fourth over (and bowled at an economy rate of just 0.5rpo!) to have UQ on the brink at nine down. Erin Moran returned in the 23rd over to take her fourth wicket off an inside edge with keeper Scarlett Varidel taking a sharp catch low to her left.

Uni finished on 53 all out, and Wests secured a 64-run bonus-point victory.

Well done on a great turn-around win, ladies!

Individual Statistics:

• Erin Moran 4/9 (4.1)
• Sophie Martin 2/2 (4)
• Lilli Hamilton 2/14 (6)
• Jess Bryant 1/11 (4)
• Kinjal Dani 38no (108)
• Emma Lockwood 18no (52)
• Isobel Hartog 12 (42)
• Eliza Goffage 10 (26)