NSW Breakers win ninth straight women’s cricket title
NSW have won their ninth straight Women’s National Cricket League one-day title, with a seven-wicket victory over Victoria in wet conditions.
Sunday’s match was reduced to 20 overs a side and started almost five and a half hours late at 3.25pm, the latest possible time for it to commence.
Set 112 for victory after sending Victoria in, NSW got home with seven balls to spare.
Most of the match was played in drizzle and under floodlights.
Australian star Meg Lanning (49 off 48 balls) helped Victoria to 9-111, hitting seven of the 10 fours in the innings.
The Spirit were well-placed at 1-50, but lost wickets at regular intervals.
NSW lost Alyssa Healy (4 off 6) early, but two solid partnerships thwarted Victoria’s bid for their first WNCL title since 2005.
Leah Poulton (48 off 48) added 48 with captain Alex Blackwell (26 off 29) before the latter was run out by a direct hit from Jess Cameron at square leg.
Poulton then added 55 with former Victorian captain Rachael Haynes (33 not out off 29), before being dismissed five runs short of the target,
Haynes, who is in her third season with the Breakers, hit the winning boundary and won the player of the match award after taking 3-20 with her left-arm medium pace.