Spirit claim T20 title
Sun, 24 January 2010
DEC VicSpirit has claimed the inaugural WNCL Twenty20 title with an emphatic 52-run win over the NSW Breakers in the final at Adelaide Oval. After making 5-127 from its 20 overs, the Spirit completely shut down the potent Breakers batting line-up with an outstanding bowling and fielding display that reaped early wickets and then kept the pressure on. NSW wickets fell steadily and the Breakers were dismissed for just 75 in 16 overs. Although the Spirit finished with a comprehensive win, at the change of innings the Vic players may have felt their total was 10-15 runs short and perhaps they could have tried to lift the tempo a little earlier, before Rachael Haynes and Kelly Applebee put on 22 for the fifth wicket at better than a run a ball. Some excellent, accurate bowling - in particular by Sarah Andrews whose four overs included a rare wicket-maiden and cost just 12 runs - and intelligent field placement kept the pressure on the Spirit for the majority of their innings, but the batters kept their heads. However after the Breakers raced to seven off the first three balls of their innings, they suffered a remarkable top-order collapse, losing four wickets for only one run in the space of 10 deliveries to suddenly find themselves in deep trouble at 4-8 after 13 balls. At the mid-point of their chase, NSW was 6-38 and two overs later it was an even more depressing scorecard at 8-46, with only one player having made it to double figures. Elyse Villani got the Spirit off to a fast start, striking cleanly through the covers to notch up three boundaries and take Victoria to 0/32 after five overs, before Meg Lanning was bowled for nine by a beautiful slower ball from Andrews in the sixth over. After reaching 29 from 27 deliveries, Villani advanced to Breakers skipper Lisa Sthalekar, who fired one down the leg side. It was called a wide but as Villani reached back with her bat, Alyssa Healy removed the bails and the square-leg umpire raised his finger, much to the Victorian player's dismay. From 2/49, Sarah Coyte, Sthalekar and Angela Reakes kept things tight in the middle third of the innings, as Jess Cameron and Sarah Elliott batted steadily, running hard but often finding fielders with their most powerful shots. Finally Coyte tempted Elliott into a miscue and she was caught by Sthalekar at midwicket for 19 (19 balls) off the final ball of the 15th over, having added 38 for the third wicket with Cameron. Four balls later, Cameron - who had made an impressive 27 from 30 balls and just seemed to be getting her eye in - charged Erin Osborne but could only snick one through to Healy who gleefully accepted the catch, reducing the Spirit to 4/89 after 16 overs. Then Haynes and Applebee picked up the pace in a good partnership, broken only in the final over when Haynes hit one straight to Sthalekar at cover and was easily run out, having made 17 from just 14 balls. Applebee remained unbeaten on 21, from 15 balls, while the wickets were shared between Andrews (1-12), Coyte (1-16), Sthalekar (1-25) and Osborne (1-25). Leah Poulton was the first to go in the Breakers' response, bowled by Julie Hunter for six, and then both Alex Blackwell and Healy fell for ducks in Clea Smith's first over. When Aley followed, also without scoring, from the first ball of Hunter's second over, the Spirit was right on top with the score at 4/8.
Sportal
