NSW cruise to another WNCL title

New South Wales 9 for 206 (A Blackwell 54) beat Victoria 147 (Applebee 35, Osborne 3-33) by 59 runs
Scorecard

New South Wales grabbed their fifth Women's National Cricket League title in a row with a 59-run victory over Victoria at the MCG. The Breakers hit back after their loss in the Twenty20 decider last weekend with a comprehensive display, posting 9 for 206 before the Spirit were dismissed for 147 in 39.1 overs.

Victoria's chase started badly with the exits of the openers Elyse Villani and Rachael Haynes by the time they reached 15. Jess Cameron's 32 offered some hope but Erin Osborne, the offspinner, made sure there was no chance of a recovery when she ran through the middle order to leave the Spirit 7 for 121.

The key wicket was her third, with Kelly Applebee caught behind for a team-high 35 after Renee Melton and Emma Inglis had already been taken. The lower order did not give up easily but the task was too hard and the game ended with the run out of Clea Smith.

Alex Blackwell and Leah Poulton (31) started strongly with an 81-run stand as Blackwell top scored with 54. The captain Lisa Sthalekar steered the side through some difficult periods and was the final wicket to fall when she went for 49 in the last over. Alyssa Healy (23) and Ellyse Perry (17) offered strong support while Smith, Briana Binch and Sarah Elliott gained two wickets each.