NSW Women’s Premier Cricket: U18s Brewer Shield, Rd 10 Team of the Week
In addition to the usual blazing bats and cartwheeling stumps, round 10 saw several games decided by brains and good old fashioned heart. Brewer Shield Team of the Week.
Local Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The runs flowed and the wickets tumbled in round 10 of the U18s Brewer Shield, while a couple of games were decided by pure heart and desire.
Jessica McMillan carried her bat and Bankstown to a hard fought victory. And Zara Hepplewhite did just about everything except carry Northern District over the line.
Here’s who made our Team of the Week.
RELATED CONTENT:
U18S BREWER SHIELD ROUND NINE WRAP, TEAM OF THE WEEK
U15s PEDEN SHIELD SEASON PREVIEW
TEAM OF THE WEEK: ROUND 10
1. Jessica McMillan (Bankstown)
If not for Jessica’s defiant 60 not out at the top of the order, Bankstown would have fallen to Northern District and slipped to the lower half of the table. Also took 3/22.
2. Athira Dilip Kumar (Blacktown)
In one of several fine efforts in a losing side, Athira couldn’t have done much more. Posted 60 off the blade and took 1/17 from 10 watertight overs.
3. Japleen Kaur (Penrith)
A coach's dream, Japleen read the room against St George-Sutherland and played accordingly to guide Penrith to an unlikely victory. Blended composure and power in a brilliant 68 off 120.
4. Aishleen Gir (Parramatta)
Aishleen’s irresistible form continued in round 10. Sheer aggression got her a spot last week, this week a patient 74 off 124 saw Parra to a winning total.
5. Cosette Thomas (Greater Hunter)
Cosette rarely lets Greater Hunter down, and nothing changed against Uni where her damaging 53 off 61 swayed the contest.
6. Zara Hepplewhite (Northern District)
ND’s came close to opening their account against Bankstown, and it was largely on the back of Zara’s 40 with the bat and disciplined 5/23 with the ball.
7. Sharon N Julien (Parramatta)
The former North Sydney all-rounder shone with bat and ball against the Swans. Scored 40 in a 90-run partnership with Gir, then returned with her leg-spin taking a crucial 2/16 off eight overs.
8. Sukhmandeep Dhaliwal (Penrith)
On its own, Sukhman’s unbeaten 29 off 89 looks harmless enough, but in the context of a match saving 76-run partnership it was worth its weight in gold.
9. Abigail Byrne (Gordon)
Coming in at 7/109, Abigail played the type of innings bowling sides fear. Hit eight boundaries in her 21 overs at the crease, and her 49 off 73 batted Blacktown out of the contest.
10. Manorath Gill (Penrith)
Her fine efforts with the ball were lost in the late heroics at Harold Fraser, but if not for Manorath’s opening spell and 3/16 off seven overs, the Slayers would have reached a formidable total
11. Lily Crabbe (Manly)
The Manly speedster rarely skips a beat with the new ball and against the Ghosts cashed in with a well deserved 5/11 off eight overs.
ROUND 10 WRAP
Round 10 of the U18s Brewer Shield reverted to the longer format with all seven matches played across 50 overs.
Gordon headed to Blacktown in an effort to maintain their place at the top of the table. While Penrith headed east, desperate to prove their top-two credentials against St George-Sutherland.
Here’s how all the games played out.
DUO STAGES MIRACLE RECOVERY
In one of the Brewer Shield matches of the season, Penrith have come from the clouds to pickpocket St George-Sutherland in the final over of the day.
Set a victory target of 159. Penrith slumped to 5/63 and looked dead and buried when Sukhmandeep Dhaliwal joined Japleen Kaur at the centre of Harold Fraser Reserve.
In a slow grind, they turned the tables and across 20 overs cut the deficit by 76. But when Kaur (68 off 120 balls) sliced Beth Millican (2/20, 10 overs) to gully, Georgie Benhiam held on and the Slayers regained the momentum.
With 20 required from 28 balls, Yashika Ramprasad (10* off 9) arrived at the crease and tensions rose to fever pitch.
Having defended her stumps for the best part of 80 deliveries, Dhaliwal (29* off 89) stood tall in the second last over and with a thumping pull shot, the left-hander’s pressure relieving boundary edged Penrith to within three with six balls to go.
With the Slayers fielders closing in, the pair nudged a single, then with three balls to spare scampered the remaining two for an unlikely victory.
“The girls just fought really hard. We didn’t field well and found ourselves in trouble with the bat,” Penrith coach Glen Bradley said of his side that now sit fourth on the ladder, just one-point behind the Slayers in second.
“The innings of Japleen and Sukhman got us over the line in the end. Their partnership of 76 was brilliant, I’m really proud of the girls.”
With seven boundaries, Kaur showed maturity beyond her years and alongside Dhaliwal the duo nutted out an escape plan and largely pulled it off to perfection.
Kaur savaged any thing short, and her on-drive to the boundary in the 32nd over was arguably the shot of the day.
“That was a strong St George-Sutherland attack,” said Bradley. “That’s three in a row now, and the first time we’ve beaten a side above us on the table, so it’s a good sign.”
“Keeping calm is the key. We like to keep the players as calm as possible with encouragement along the way and make sure they are thinking about their cricket.
“We like them to be thinking cricketers and we talk about that at training a lot. Just thinking about what situation you’re in and how you can best perform.”
While they didn’t get the chocolates, the home side were well served across the park. Opener Libby Burgess top scored with 48, while Katie Abrook (23* off 46) and Millican (27 off 47) were next best in the Slayers 8/158.
Opening bowler Manorath Gill (3/16, seven overs) and Aleena Syed (3/26) finished with the pick of the figures for Penrith.
ANOTHER NAIL-BITER
Bankstown left it late to defeat a vastly improved Northern District by two-wickets at Grahame Thomas Oval.
On any other day, Zara Hepplewhite’s all-round effort would have been enough to secure the Rangers their first victory of the season.
After electing to bat, the skipper (40 off 74) top scored in her side’s 159, and received strong support in the lower order from Elyssa Bolger who posted 30 off 46 balls.
Then with Bankstown at 2/115 and cruising towards their fifth win of the season, Hepplewhite orchestrated a stunning collapse. In the space of seven overs, Bankstown crashed to a seemingly unrecoverable 8/131.
Hepplewhite proved unplayable and in nine overs the Central Coast all-rounded bagged a season best 5/23.
Throughout the carnage, Bankstown opener Jessica McMillan (60* off 114) watched from the other end. Unflustered, she was joined by regular opener Ava Gaughan (17* off 18) and they knocked off the remaining 29 with 11 overs to spare.
In a day for all-rounders, McMillan’s match-saving innings came after the pace ace took 3/22.
BAG OF FIVE
A five-wicket haul by Lily Crabbe put Manly on the road to a comfortable five-wicket victory at Raby.
After picking up an early wicket, the opening bowler returned for a second spell and her 5/11 from eight overs saw Campbelltown-Camden bowled out for 105.
Once again Aditi Shidore played a captain's knock. A rock at the top of the order, the Ghosts skipper hit 65 off 98 balls.
Relatively untroubled in reply, Manly reached the target in the 31st over. Eve Burke finished 30 not out, and opener Keira Terrey was dismissed for 21.
Zahra Nasser was best for the Ghosts, taking 2/16 from six overs.
RUNS GALORE
Gordon were pushed all the way at Blacktown before the ladder leaders prevailed by 23 runs at Joe McAleer Oval.
In a contest that saw a full quota of 100 overs delivered, the home side gave Gordon’s 8/192 a serious nudge before running out of gas to finish on 6/169.
Led by opener Athira Dilip Kumar (60 off 86), Blacktown’s top four all made starts. Keya Patel was next best with 35, but in the end Gordon had too many bowlers apply the breaks.
Ivy Platt set the trend with 3/25 off nine, while leg-spinner Audrey Kirk (1/26, 10 overs) controlled the middle overs.
Earlier, Gordon had five players score 22 or better. Jorja Horan struck 42 off 47, but it was Abigail Byrne at No.9 who proved the difference between the sides.
Coming in at 7/109, Byrne resuscitated the innings with a team-high 49 off 73.
PARRA WIN ON THE ROAD
Parramatta headed south and got the better of the Southern Swans by 25 runs at Port Kembla.
For the second week running Aishleen Gir top scored as Parramatta rounded out successive wins, while with a third loss on the trot, the Swans now find themselves in fifth spot.
The Swans were flying when Natalia Egan (4/35, 10 overs) picked up the first of her four wickets with the third ball of the day. From there, Gir and Sharon Julien (40 off 74) mounted a partnership of 90 before Julien was trapped in front by Nicola Hudson (1/42, 10 overs) in the 26th over.
In an innings of 74 off 124 balls, Gir found several more willing partners as the visitors closed out on a competitive 9/188.
In reply, the Swans were bowled out for 163 in the 48th over. Captain Ella Yates (59 off 95) and Hudson (29 off 68) added 62 for the third wicket, but in a spirited chase they were the only Swans batters to score more than 11 runs.
Georgia Aldridge was the best of the Parra bowlers. The left-arm opener took 3/24, while Mithula Venkatesh (2/27, six overs) and Julien (2/16, eight overs) both took two each.
SYDNEY BOUNCE BACK
Sydney has returned to form after they downed UTS North Sydney by 28 runs at Birchgrove.
Opting to bat first, Marnie Flett (33 off 45) led the way in an innings where Sydney’s top four all made starts before they were bowled out for 149 in the second last over.
Bears captain Varada Vinay (3/26, 10 overs) continued her good form with the ball, and found excellent support from off-spinner Abigail Aitken who finished with a season-best return of 3/23 from 10 overs.
With the bat, Norths struggled for consistency. Opener Elspeth Herbert (43* off 116) battled the entire innings but ran out of partners when the final wicket fell for 121 with eight overs remaining.
Hannah Rose (4/10, 4.5 overs) picked up the key wicket of Vinay and cleaned up the tail. Sophie Busch returned a crucial 3/30 and was excellent through the middle overs.
HUNTER RIDE THE WAVE
A dashing a half century by Cosette Thomas has propelled Greater Hunter to a 37-run victory over Sydney University.
Since dropping four consecutive matches in November, the Newcastle girls have regrouped and returned home from St Andrew’s Oval with back-to-back wins.
Thomas could only find the boundary on three occasions in her innings of 53, but continued to rotate the strike in her 61-ball stay at the crease as Hunter reached 8/182.
Mia Gentle (31 off 59) and captain Felicity Wharton (32 off 58) were the other key contributors against a strong Uni attack led by Ruby Carter (3/29, nine overs) and Diksha Chowdhary (3/27, 10 overs).
Ruby Dickerson (49 off 74) and Ella Wade (30 off 77) top scored in Uni’s 145 all out. Greater Hunter had three bowlers finish with two wickets: Charlotte McEwan (2/9), Isabella Bliss (2/11) and Bronte Morgan (2/16).
Join the conversation
Crazy yacht with big ambitions in Sydney to Hobart
It could be the most schizophrenic yacht in the Sydney to Hobart with this dark horse for a major win starting life as different boat with a different name and even a different length.
Read more
‘We could see 50 knots’: Sydney to Hobart sailors on high alert
Sailors are bracing for up to 50 knot gusts the first night at sea in the Sydney to Hobart with warnings of boat and sail damage, storms and plummeting temperatures. Latest weather and news
Read more