Barwon Heads’ Steph Theodore named player of match in A-grade premiership, Bell Park break through for B-grade flag
Barwon Heads has ascended to Geelong Women’s Cricket League A-grade premiers in just its second year, after a near-perfect grand final performance. Plus, the figure who inspired Bell Park to flag glory.
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Barwon Heads found its sweet spot late in the season, and as a result, revelled in its coronation as A-grade women’s premiers on Sunday.
After a middling 3-3-1 early-season record, the Seagulls took flight after Christmas with six consecutive wins, their final one the pièce de résistance – a 22-run victory over Geelong City Sharks to bring home the club’s first women’s premiership in a season where little separated the top four.
Sharks’ teen skipper Mary Rolfe later described the Seagulls’ improvement throughout the season as “insane”.
Credit must go to first-year Barwon Heads captain-coach and player of the match, Steph Theodore, who helped take the Seagulls to new heights this summer following the team’s losing semi-final last year.
Accustomed to big moments across a decorated playing career with both state and country, Theodore, the competition’s leading run-scorer, stepped up again in the grand final, making 42 after moving herself down the order and taking 2-14, her two scalps helping break open the Sharks’ top order.
Her tactical acumen too vital, putting the right people in the right places.
Equal credit must go to her players for executing, both on Sunday and across the season.
Miki Monahan (42) played an innings-defining 68-run partnership with Theodore in sapping 30-plus degree heat at South Barwon Reserve to see the Seagulls to 6-148.
“We were trying to work a five-over partnership, hang in their five overs, and all I said to her (Monahan) was have fun, not overthink it,” Theodore said.
“If you see the ball, hit the ball and that’s what Miki did really well.”
Happy to have won the toss and bat first, it was a score Theodore felt the team could comfortably defend.
“Being the young side they (Geelong City) were … if we could put the pressure on early with a few wickets, with that score (we had), it might get them a bit panicky,” Theodore said of her thought-process.
“To their credit, they batted really well … but I thought we had enough on the board, we just needed to make sure we stuck to our bowling plans and not to let that loose ball (go).”
Opening pace bowler Matilda Cole struck early, dismissing fellow teen and City’s opening batter Erin Moloney, before Theodore later came on to break the budding partnership of Lily Foster (20) and Rosie Cox (30), first snaring Cox and later Foster four overs later.
Hoping to combat the Sharks’ natural ability to score quick singles, the Seagulls’ tight fielding was central to victory late in the day, Katrina Lumb’s back-to-back run-outs of Rolfe and Poppy Agg helping turn the tide – similar to her momentum-swinging run-out of Sophia Law in last week’s semi final win over North Geelong.
“Lumby did it twice, she turned the game around for us last week and again she turned it around this week,” Theodore said.
With the Sharks needing 41 off their final five overs, Emma Allen and Cole followed up with similar run-outs for Barwon Heads to take any remaining wind out of their rival’s sails, the Sharks finishing short on 9-126 by the end of 30 overs.
In her post-match address, Rolfe congratulated Barwon Heads, saying they simply “outplayed us”, before expressing pride for her team’s efforts this season.
“Keep your heads up, we’ll get them next year,” Rolfe said.
Injured skipper inspires Dragons to breakthrough flag
Her on-field absence loomed large in the latter part of the season, but it was injured skipper Mollie Robbins Bell Park teammate Michelle Gerdtz described as a driving force behind the Dragons’ B-grade premiership.
In what was a rematch of last year’s C-grade grand final against Newtown & Chilwell – which the Two Blues won – the Dragons got their revenge on Sunday, holding on for a nailbiting nine-run win to cement a rise which started in E-grade three seasons ago.
It marked a special season for the Dragons’ women’s team, after winning their maiden piece of silverware in December in a T20 playoff over Queenscliff.
Addressing the crowd on Sunday, Gerdtz said Robbins, out with a season-ending ACL injury, served as inspiration for Dragons in their premiership pursuit.
“As soon as we knew Mollie was out for the season, it didn’t even need to be spoken about, we just knew it was going to be for her,” Gerdtz elaborated post-presentations.
“And that’s what we did today, it was in the back of my mind today that I wanted this (medal) around my neck for this one (pointing to Robbins).
“To this group, it’s been a big couple years for us and what we dreamed and hoped would happen, and it’s finally happened.”
One of the central figures in starting up Bell Park’s first women’s team, Robbins said her desire was to create a space where women felt welcomed and “part of something”, as well as an outlet from the pressures of everyday life.
“It was about having that space and to see that progression over three years … to now winning a premiership, I think just means so much more to people than they realise,” Robbins said.
After the Dragons ‘ top-order failed on Sunday, in part to Two Blues captain and player of the match Taliesin Platt’s dominance with 4-12, it was Kristen Long (29) and Jackii Hutchison (27) who rose to the occasion with an influential 58-run partnership to help their team to 112 from 30 overs.
“(They) really dug in when we needed them too … and got us to a point where the others came in and contributed and got us over that 100-mark, which is what we needed,” Gerdtz said.
Bianca Duff would almost single-handedly get the Two Blues across the line with her unbeaten 43 from 52 – including four boundaries – though was Bell Park’s ability to set its fields and take regular wickets which won out in the end.
Jordy Taylor claimed the Dragons’ first – the highly prized scalp of the competition’s leading batter Platt – as well as the flag-winning final wicket.
“For Jordy to come up from E-grade last year, to do what she did with the ball is just sensational,” Robbins said.
Louise Darbyshire would take care of the rest of the Two Blues’ top order to finish with 3-5, while Emily Bradley (3-30) led the charge cleaning up the tail.
Roos down Hawks for first flag
Anglesea is celebrating its maiden women’s flag, claiming a nine-wicket T20 C-grade grand final win over Drysdale at Polwarth Oval.
An unbeaten 50 from Drysdale's Laura Sheehan saw the Hawks to 6-116, though the Roos easily reeled in the runs with 11 balls to spare.
Openers Janet Lister (48 not out) and Noelle Taylor (48) saw the Roos through to triple digits, before Lister and Rachel McCue (12 not out) secured the winning runs.
It capped a standout all-round game from McCue, who earlier took 3-19.
Lions roar to life in D-grade decider
East Belmont held off Thomson by 13 runs in a hard-fought D-grade decider at Grenville Oval.
The Lions successfully defended their total of 3-105, keeping the Tigers to 2-92 in reply.
Michelle Marcola (30 not out) and Chris Walker (27 not out) set the tone throughout the Lions’ innings, while Carrie Anderson (30 not out) did her best trying to get the Tigers across the line.
Upset, three-peat define E-grade showdowns
St Joseph’s pulled off perhaps the upset of the day when it downed previously undefeated Murgheboluc by seven runs in an E-grade central grand final.
The Frogs had comfortably won most of their games this season, after it was graded down from B-grade to E-grade, but struggled to get the breakthrough they needed against Joeys on grand final day.
Mallory Keane (34 not out) helped Joey’s post 3-117, though it was their work in the field – including four run outs — which saw the Frogs all out for 110.
Meanwhile, Armstrong Creek completed a three-peat, claiming the E-grade east premiership with a seven-wicket win over Barwon Heads, while North Geelong avenged its grand final loss from last year by the same margin in an E-grade north decider against Little River.
Titans’ pair Errin Lang (30 not out) and Alyce Lockwood (32 not out) were critical to their side’s successful 106-run chase, while Layne Harvey (25 not out) and Haylee Wray (29) spearheaded the Magpies’ 99-run winning chase.
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