Divided loyalties

Normally I would support my home team, the NSW Breakers but being an expat and as Danni Wyatt (a fellow Brit.) was playing for Victoria Spirit, I was left in a quandary over which cricket team to support.
Luckily the teams were head to head in two different finals.
Victoria Spirit won the women's T20 match at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne on Thursday afternoon. I watched this match on TV. Danni Wyatt got the player of the final award. It was quite a close and hard fought match. The glass trophy was smashed when the Spirits captain Emma Inglis dropped it during the celebrations.

On Friday I decided to take a ferry to Rose Bay to sit on the beach for a while as it was a lovely sunny day. I also took a few photos.

Three flying boats

 

Distances

 

An unusual sign

 

On Saturday it was the WNCL 50 over final at the SCG and I was going to this. Unfortunately the weather had gone pear shaped and we were in for a cloudy day with the odd shower.
When I got to the ground this scoreboard showed the teams and that Victoria had won the toss and NSV were TING whatever that means ?

 

The teams line up prior to the match

 

The Spirit players

 

The Breakers

 

Spirit players in pre match discussion before taking to the field.

 

Julie Hunter bowled a blinder on the first ball of the match and claimed the valuable wicket of the normally high scoring Poulton. I was too slow with the camera to catch it.
In Danni Wyatt's first over she claimed the equally valuable wicket of the NSW captain Alex Blackwell.
Danni and her teammates celebrate this important wicket

 

At this point Rachael Haynes and Lisa Sthalekar started to build a big partnership.
The scoreboard shows the beginning of this partnership.

 

Lisa Sthalekar strikes out. Rachael Haynes went onto score a magnificent 156.

 

Eventually Spirit managed a breakthrough and some wickets fell, but at the end of 50 overs, the Breakers has 310 runs for 7 wickets down.

 

Lunch in the Members with my daughter and son in law

 

This is what they were playing for

 

When the Spirit had their turn to bat, they started well and were up with the run rate for the first thirty overs

 

Eventually the resistance was broken and wickets started falling with excellent bowling from Coyte and Perry

 

The final score for Victoria was 240 all out and the NSW Breakers had won the trophy

 

The losing captain Emma Inglis congratulates NSW and thanks her teammates for their efforts

 

Winning captain Alex Blackwell receives the trophy

 

The winning team

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this high scoring match. Even the weather did not spoil the day.

I will be seeing a lot of the same players in T20 International matches next week when the Australians take on a team from NZ. It is at the excellent North Sydney Oval just up the road from where I live. Loads of live cricket to enjoy next Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Peewit