Under-16s Female National Cricket Champs: Wrap, results, standouts from round three and four
It was a golden day for NSW sides as both Metro and Country turned on the fireworks during a stunning day three of the U16 Female National Championships in Ballarat.
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It was a golden day for NSW teams as both Metro and Country wiped away their opponents during rounds three and four of the under-16 national championships.
Coming into the day after a mixed start to the tournament, both NSW teams lit up the competition with some stunning performances in their two T20 games.
Catch up with a wrap of the action below.
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COUNTRY TURNS ON FIREWORKS
NSW Country’s batters have put on a pinch-hitting masterclass as the team put together some huge totals during day three of the tournament.
Coming off a nailbiting one-wicket loss to Queensland to kick off the tournament, Country put Tasmania to the sword in its round three T20 clash, blasting 160 from its 20 overs before reducing its opponents to 9-108 to chalk up a 52-run win.
To prove this wasn’t a one-off, the team then went one better in the afternoon clash, smashing 180 from its 20 overs before bowling the ACT for just 49 to record a huge 131-run win.
Amelia Valdez was the star of the show in the morning, hitting three fours and three sixes in a stunning knock of 62 not out from just 38 balls, while Molly Dare was at her brilliant best against the ACT, hitting eight fours and putting two over the fence as she scored 80 from just 55 deliveries.
The wins shot Country up into fourth place on the ladder after a first-round washout and nailbiting loss to Queensland.
While Valdez dominated Tasmania, she was well supported by opener Phoebe Johnston, who scored 33 from 32 balls, and Felicity Wharton, who chimed in with 15 not out at the end of the innings.
With plenty of runs to defend, Country was never in doubt of losing, with the team taking regular wickets to restrict Tasmania to 9-108.
Leg-spinner Cosette Thomas had a field day with the ball, taking 5-18 from four overs – including four wickets in a damaging 11-ball period – to seal the win.
And although Dare absolutely stole the show against the Canberra-based team in the afternoon, Johnston continued her good day out with another good dig of 35 from 28 balls before the bowlers really got down to work.
Just one ACT batter managed to crack double digits as Country restricted the side to the lowest team total of the tournament and chalked up the biggest winning margin so far.
Thomas made it a remarkable seven wickets for the day with figures of 2-6 from three overs while Poppi Stephen was excellent as she took 2-4 from two overs.
METRO SURGES UP THE LADDER
NSW Metro has shown its championship credentials after a perfect day out in Ballarat.
Coming into day three with a record of one win and one loss, Metro turned up the heat with an eight-wicket win over South Australia and five-wicket thumping of Tasmania.
Jaaniya Shah and Neha Joshua were the stars of the day for Metro with player-of-the-match performances in respective games.
In the morning clash against South Australia at Russell Square Oval, Shah’s blazing half-century propelled the side to an easy win.
After restricting the South Aussies to 4-115, Shah and Parramatta teammate Aarna Patel made short work of the chase, joining forces in a second-wicket stand of 81 from just 12 overs.
Shah wasted little time adjusting to the conditions. With 10 fours and one six, the right-hander torched the bowling before falling seven runs shy of the victory target.
Patel finished 36 not out, and the stylish keeper stamped her own class on the victory with five boundaries from 42 deliveries as the Blues cruised to 2-120 inside 17 overs.
Of the Metro bowlers, Manly leg-spinner Kaya Punter continued her impressive campaign with 2-15 from four tidy overs.
In the afternoon clash, another Parramatta young gun in Joshua took centre with an excellent all-round performance.
The quick inflicted the early damage with the ball, taking 4-14 in four overs as she ripped through the Tasmanian top order.
She took a wicket in each of her four overs as Tasmania was restricted to 9-88 from its 20 overs.
Joshua wasn’t finished there, with the all-rounder putting in an exciting cameo with the bat to ensure that Metro chased down the target within just 12 overs.
Coming in at first drop, she hit five boundaries in an entertaining knock of 24 from just 14 balls, with Elizabeth Yates finishing on 16 not out.
The victories take Metro into top spot on the ladder alongside Victoria Country and Queensland, with a record of three wins and one draw.
DAY TWO WRAP
After a rain ruined opening day, both NSW sides took the field for round two of the under-16s Female National Cricket Championships in Ballarat.
Metro took on reigning champs Victoria Metro at St Patrick’s College, while Country headed further south to tackle Queensland at Buninyong.
Here’s how the day unfolded.
METRO’S MIGHTY COMEBACK
NSW Metro has rebounded from the heartache of Monday’s loss to down Victoria Metro in a much anticipated rematch of last season’s epic grand final in Hobart.
Coming off a confidence sapping one-run defeat to Western Australia, another loss could well have derailed NSW’s Ballarat campaign on just the second day of the competition.
By no means as comfortable as it looks, the 128-run victory was built on a recovery mission orchestrated by the Campbelltown-Camden pairing of Aditi Shidore and Aurora Mavros.
After electing to bat the Blues quickly stumbled as the reigning champions struck in quick succession. Among a procession of early wickets, Shiloh Julien (50 off 70) steadied the ship and added another half century to her opening day knock of 56.
But when the Parramatta opener became Ira Aery’s third victim, NSW were left teetering at 4-98 and were soon treading water when Jaaniya Shah was the sixth to fall after failing to make her ground with the score on 109 in the 28th over.
But in what could well become a defining moment in the tournament, Shidore and Mavros picked up the pieces with a match defining seventh wicket partnership.
With a stand of 126, the Ghosts duo stopped the flow of wickets before powering the Blues to a position of strength. Shidore finished 70 not out from 128 deliveries, while Mavros added the fireworks in an electric knock of 69 off 67 balls.
In an old-fashioned get square, Mavros returned serve in the 49th over when she smashed Aery for two fours and a pair of sixes before the innings closed on 7-238 after 50 overs.
Aside from opener Makaylah Brne (43 off 108), Victoria’s batting line-up failed to fire in reply and they were bowled out in the 37th over for 110.
Manly quick Arabella Handley struck the first blow. After several wayward deliveries to start the second over of the innings, the right armer struck paydirt when she knocked over Ishita Tiwari with her third legal delivery.
The Vics stabilised at 1-45 before the final nine wickets fell for 65. In a superb fielding performance, NSW forced two run outs, while with ball in hand Julien capped a fine afternoon and was joined by Aanya Siingh as the only other multiple wicket-taker.
Following the rest day on Wednesday, NSW Metro return to the field on Thursday with a T20 contest against South Australia.
NSW Metro 7-238, 50 overs (Shidore 70*, Mavros 69, Julien 50; Aery 3-45, Kapoor 1-29) defeated Victoria Metro 10-110, 37 overs (Brne 43; Siingh 2-13, Julien 2-21, Karthikayan 1-13, Shidore 1-15, Handley 1-16) by 128 runs.
COUNTRY GOES DOWN IN FINAL-WICKET THRILLER
NSW Country has kicked off its campaign with an agonising one-wicket loss to Queensland in a thrilling round two clash in Ballarat.
Batting first, Country had Nicola Hudson (31) and Cosette Thomas (29) to thank as some late-order hitting from the pair helped overcome a top-order batting collapse to drag the team to a total of 199 before being bowled out in the 44th over.
And while some excellent bowling from the NSW side had Queensland on the ropes at 8-134, some equally brilliant batting from Astrid Muniandy (71) and number 10 Ayaka Stafford (20 not out) helped Queensland claim a thrilling one-wicket victory with just seven balls remaining.
With the team batting first, it was a case of players getting starts but not going on with it for Country, who lost Amelia Valdez (9), Simran Dhatt (15) and Felicity Wharton (12) to be struggling at 3-58.
And while Molly Dare looked in good touch as she scored 30, the team found itself in real trouble at 6-98 and then 7-122.
Staring down the barrel of a very low total, Hudson and Thomas teamed up to give their side something to bowl at.
The pair added crucial lower-order runs as Hudson top scored with 31 and Thomas finished with 29 to help push Country to 199 before the team was bowled out with more than six overs to go.
Looking for an early breakthrough from its bowlers, Country got off to a brilliant start when quick Lane Jordan struck with just the second ball by dismissing Queensland opener Lauren Patterson for a duck.
Jordan then doubled the advantage by bowling Chelsea Sonter shortly after to make it 2-13.
Queensland recovered well to work its way to 2-49 from 10 overs and seemed to be building some momentum before Hudson continued her strong performance, this time with the ball.
She came on and broke the partnership between Abbie Trevethan and Muniandy by trapping the former in front LBW for 23 to reduce Queensland to 3-61.
The wicket signalled a shift in the game as Country continued to take regular wickets.
Hudson was outstanding with three wickets while batting partner Thomas also chimed in with one of her own as Queensland fell to 8-134.
With 66 runs to win and just two wickets in hand, Queensland was in deep trouble. However Muniandy showed her class with a brilliant knock.
Teaming up with number 10 Stafford, she chalked up her half-century as the pair put on a 50-run partnership.
And while Muniandy was eventually run out by Olivia Dimmock for a brilliant 71 from 108 balls, it got Queensland to within 15 runs of victory.
From here Stafford (29 not out) and number 11 Jessica Cremin showed plenty of grit to get their side home in the second-last over, with the winning run coming from a wide.
NSW Country 10-199 (Hudson 31, Dare 30; Dinesh 3-27, Stafford 2-33) lost to Queensland 9-200 (Muniandy 71, Stafford 29*; Hudson 3-40, Jordan 2-31) by one wicket
ROUND ONE WRAP
It was a mixed day for the NSW sides as the weather closed in on the opening day of the under-16s Female National Cricket Championships in Ballarat.
Following last season’s heartbreaking grand final loss to Victoria Metro, NSW Metro opened it’s campaign in a rain reduced contest against Western Australia. For the Country girls, their focus quickly shifted to round two after their opening round clash with Victoria Metro was abandoned.
Here’s how the action unfolded.
METRO’S FINAL BALL THRILLER
After spending the majority of the day waiting for the rain to clear, NSW Metro and Western Australia found themselves in an afternoon shootout with the winner eventually decided after the final ball of the day.
Reduced to 19 overs per side at Buninyong Recreation Reserve, WA won the toss and fired out of the gates to post an impressive 6-147.
Penrith all-rounder Aanya Siingh carried her bat in the Blues’ reply, but after a whirlwind 64 off 55 balls could only manage a single off the final ball when three would have secured a nailbiting victory.
In a fantastic chase, Siingh and Parramatta’s Shiloh Julien added 119 for the first wicket before Julien departed in the 16th over for a classy 56 from 50 balls that included two sixes and five fours. Just as destructive, Siingh found the rope on nine occasions and cleared it once.
In a bright afternoon for opening batters, Alyssa Dermody (63* off 55) was the star for WA.
The NSW quicks found the going tough with the new ball, but the rewards came when pace was taken off. In a fine all-round performance off-spinner Julien took 2-28, while Manly leggie Kaya Punter finished with 2-11.
The action continues for both NSW teams on Tuesday. In 50-over contests, Metro tackle Vic Metro in a rematch of last season’s decider, while Country take on Queensland.
Western Australia 6-147, 19 overs (Dermody 63*, Kalaivanan 22; Punter 2-11, Julien 2-28, Shidore 1-21, Horan 1-23) defeated NSW Metro 3-146, 19 overs (Siingh 65*, Julien 56; Tedeschi 2-20, Ferguson 1-29) by one run.
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