WOMEN WIN SOUTHERN’S FIRST A GRADE PREMIERSHIP

The A grade Women have won a classic “rags to riches” bottom to top premiership – winning Southern’s first A grade premiership in the T20 final at Adelaide Oval.

Losing the toss and being sent in we made a competitive 107 – batting three balls short of 20 overs.  The batting was led by the consistent Kylie Rattray 43 no (41 balls) and opener Jess O’Reilly 22.  We also had handy contributions from late order batter, Kayla McGrath 9 (9) and Number 3 Georgia Weatherspoon 9 (13).

We were in trouble early losing two wickets in the first three overs. Georgia looked like she was going to set the momentum with a four in the fourth over only to be bowled two balls later.  At five overs we were 2/14 and at 10 4/34.  Jess and Kylie put on 39 to steady the innings taking us to 5/63 in the 13^th over.  We lost Tabitha soon after to have us 6/65 with six overs remaining. 

Kylie and Kayla McGrath put on 24 vital runs in 22 balls to take us to 87 with three overs to go.  Kylie managed to “farm” the strike to enable us to score 20 off the last 15 balls off the innings. 

Her innings was marked by her traditional aggressive approach tempered by skillful short singles and an ability to bat with the tail enders. Her 43 no included five fours and 14 singles.  The role of tail enders Kayla McGrath 9 (9 balls) and Hannah Armstrong 2 (off only two balls faced of 15 in the partnership) can not be under estimated. 

The last two partnerships took us from a shaky 7/76 (off 15) to a competitive 8/107. It was 31 golden runs off 27 balls.

The Northern/ TTG innings started steadily with former state players Brittany Perry and Steph Morrison scoring at just over four an over for the first seven overs.  They were 0/36 in the eighth over and looked very comfortable.  They had "seen off" openers Donna Clark and Dayna Cox who had been two of our three top wicket takers this season and looked set for a win.

Two wickets in one over swung the momentum.

Wicket keeper Kylie Rattray produced one of her “trademark” stumpings in Georgia Weatherspoon’s second over.  Standing back to the medium pacer she threw down the stumps to have Brittany Perry (16) out of her ground and get us back in the game.

Later in the same over we took the wicket of key batter Cara Fiebig.  Cara had made 245 runs for the season (running second to Kylie) at 123 runs per 100 balls. The run out was caused by a misfield and a second run on an over throw.   Dayna Cox threw down the stumps to have their danger player back in the pavilion for two.

At 2/37 in the ninth over leg spinner Kelly Armstrong was introduced with devastating effect. She took the wicket of Fielke (caught Georgia) with her fourth ball to have them 3/40 in the ninth over.

Georgia followed up in the next over with an athletic caught and bowled to have the vital wicket of former state player Neesha Iles. The Bulls were 4/41 in the tenth over and the game had swung to us. 

They still had the dangerous Jess Fiebig batting.  We managed to keep pressure on “the other end” and take wickets in the ensuing three overs to have the game in our keeping.  (She  faced 13 balls for two runs.)

The fielding highlights in the last three overs were spectacular.  Tabitha Saville produced a direct hit from the boundary (60 metres) to run out top-scorer Steph Morrison (17)  and the Armstrong twins ran out Under 15 team mate Chloe Scheer (with the ball rebounding from Kelly’s leg to break the stumps.)

Fittingly Jess O’Reilly (who captained our C grade premiership six years ago) bowled the last two wickets to see us run out 60 run winners

 NOTES ON THE GAME

·         The win was the first A Grade Premiership in Southern’s history

·         We finished sixth of seven in this comp last year winning only one game and finishing above B grade team East Torrens

·         We won our first six games of the 2012-3 season

·         We sit bottom of the 50 over competition as we go into the last round

·         This is our fourth season in A grade

·         We won the C grade premiership in 2006-7 – were runners up to Prospect in C grade in 2008-9 and B grade runners up to Adelaide Uni last year. (Last year we finished top in C grade before the season was abandoned)

·         The players who played in the C grade Premiership of 2007 are Jess O’Reilly, Dayna Cox and Rachael Greenshields.  (Shari Bray also played and played the 50 over game March 2)

·         Jess O’Reilly 22 (32) and Kylie Rattray (at that stage 14 off 17) put on 39 in 36 balls for the fifth wicket

·         Kylie Rattray (43no) and Kayla McGrath made 24 off 22 balls for the seventh wicket

·         Kylie and Hannah Armstrong 2 (2) made 20 off 15 balls for the eighth wicket.

·         The seventh and eight wickets made 44 off the last seven overs (42 balls)

·         We scored 31 off the last 27 balls with only two wickets in hand (tight rope batting!!!)

·         Kylie’s 43 no (41 balls seven 4s, one 2, one 3 and 14 singles.)

·         Hannah Armstrong only faced two balls in a 20 run stand with Kylie (15 balls faced by the pair)

Northern /TTG innings

·         Having made 0/36 off 7.1 overs they lost 8/11 in the next seven

·         We achieve three run outs (Tabitha, Dayna with direct hits and the Armstrong twins)

·         Kylie’s stumping (which started the dominoes falling) was her 12th for season with seven being off faster bowlers Jess, Donna and Georgia