NSW Women’s Premier Cricket: Southern Swans claim U18s Brewer Shield
They had to withstand a mighty comeback, but the Southern Swans put Illawarra cricket on the map with a grand final victory for the ages in the U18s Brewer Shield. Wrap, 40+ photo gallery.
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The Southern Swans have defied the odds, rising from the basement in the club’s third season to claim the Under-18s Brewer Shield, after they repelled an epic Manly Warringah fightback to win by 10 runs at Port Kembla.
Nicola Hudson was outstanding for the Wollongong-based Swans. In a player of the match performance, the proud skipper and U16 NSW Country representative top scored with 59 in her side’s 8/166 and returned with the ball, strangling Manly’s chase with 3/17 from 10 overs of accurate spin.
For Hudson and all-rounder Ella Yates, the victory song carried extra weight. Having been on deck since day one, the pair have witnessed the club come full circle after it finished with the wooden spoon in its inaugural season, when they were known as Illawarra.
In a riveting contest, Manly fielded first and looked to be getting on top when Charlotte Allen removed Hudson at 5/108. But the Swans kicked again with Ava Dragovic (22 off 35 balls) and Georgia Lovegrove (35 off 53) pushing the score to a competitive total.
Coming off consecutive half centuries, the wicket of Manly opener Keira Terrey (11 off 26) was always going to be pivotal. And Ebony Winston put the Swans closer to the title when she trapped the right-hander in front of the stumps with a ball that skidded into the pads.
Wickets continued to tumble, and at 7/89, Manly could have easily rolled over in the heat and returned home early. Although, Allen (43 off 54) was having none of it, and when the big quick started launching the ball to all parts a healthy crowd suddenly found its voice.
With Abigail Bland (17 off 42) the perfect foil, the pair added 52 for the eighth wicket until Allen departed 26 shy of the victory target with 14 deliveries remaining. Sonia Punter then hit a six, but with 12 needed off the final over the chase ended when Lily Crabbe was the last to fall when she was run out.
“It’s pretty crazy, it was a great game,” said co-coach Aaron Hudson, who shared in the celebrations alongside daughter Nicola and fellow coach Shane Cody.
“It was everything you could wish for in a grand final. Manly made it interesting at the end, but credit to our girls, they stayed calm and played the big moments to perfection.
“We always believed the girls could do it. And, you know, we’re lucky we don’t have to do a lot of coaching, they do it themselves, which is great.”
CHASING THEIR TAIL
Despite the loss of three early wickets, Manly refused to throw in the towel.
Saoirse Ford came in at No.3 and weathered the storm with a defiant 32 from 66 deliveries. Along with Eve Burke (14 off 54), the skipper built a platform for Allen to carry the side within striking distance of a miracle comeback.
In a fantastic all-round performance, Allen opened the bowling for Manly and finished with 2/25 from eight overs. Composed under pressure, she then picked her moments with the bat to finish with her highest score of the season.
Showing immense strength and timing, the big right-hander cleared the rope twice, with one massive blow thundering into the mid-wicket picket fence on the full.
CAPTAIN’S KNOCK
As she’s done all season, Hudson was at the core of everything good the Swans achieved on the team’s biggest day.
Never far from the action, her match winning innings took her season tally to 441 at 33.92 – the fifth most in the competition. Her three wickets took her to 21 for the season, and in the field she held onto three hot chances and played a part in the final run out.
“It’s awesome to share the moment with Nic from a family point of view,” said proud father and co-coach Aaron Hudson.
“She has worked really hard this year, so it’s great to see her and the team get the rewards. She was there in the early days when it was tough, and her and Ella have come along in leaps and bounds with their leadership and their whole approach to the game.”
PRESSURE COOKER
The hot and oppressive conditions made it tough work for fast bowlers, but none handled it better than Swans opener, Natalia Egan.
The Bermagui speedster struck the first blow when she rocked back Matilda Brown’s off stump with an absolute peach, and returned later in the innings when Allen was at her destructive best.
With Manly making a belated charge, Egan (2/19, 10 overs) restricted the flow of runs from one end and with four overs to go managed to find Allen’s stumps to put the result beyond doubt.
“It was a bit hot, I was just trying to push through and keep the ball on off stump, hoping they might pop up a catch,” said Egan.
“I was getting quite a lot of away swing, and thankfully I got one in the right spot and Charlotte missed it.”
HEALTHY FUTURE
With the Brewer Shield now in the cabinet, Hudson is optimistic of a bright future for women’s cricket in the Illawarra and South Coast regions.
“There was a hell of a crowd here today, which is amazing for girls cricket,” said Hudson.
“It’s important we continue to build a base and development the squad. If we do that we should have a solid foundation around the club for years to come.”
GRAND FINAL PHOTO GALLERY
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