By Helen Maynard-Casely

Round 5 of the WNCL kicked off today with South Australia hosting Victoria and NSW Breakers hosting Queensland Fire as the competition gets closer to the pointy end. Across the round state sides will be seeing cameos from contracted Australia players as they seek time on the park ahead of the series against India that starts later in the month. Down in Adelaide, Annabelle Sutherland returned to the Victoria side, joining newly minted national captain Sophie Molineux. Victoria, still desperate for a first win of the season, were denied by a South Australian team again super powered by Megan Schutt, Darcy Brown and Tahlia McGrath – the latter taking player of the match in a welcome return to form.

But our main story was over the Barrasi line and further North. An overcast day greeted players across Dharug lands today, at NSW’s Cricket Central. Queensland, emboldened by the return of Jess Jonassen to the side won the toss and decided that the grey weather might favour their bowling. NSW fielded a similar side to those who had travelled to Canberra for the previous round, only swapping between two veterans with Georgia Adams out in favour of Samantha Bates.

Coming out to bat, openers Tahlia Wilson and Alyssa Healy started very conservatively, with the first boundary not coming until the 5th over. Both saw out the power play until Healy was caught by keeper captain Georgia Redmayne off of Jonassen’s bowling, for 28 runs off of 48 balls. Jonassen followed this up by taking the wickets of Wilson and Ellyse Perry, but not before they had both contributed to the total, most notably Wilson with 46. The humid conditions, peppered with some light mizzle, may have supported the Queensland bowlers, as they strangled the run rate through the middle overs.

However, Wilson’s wicket brought Katie Mack to the crease, who persisted through the lean run times, forming an excellent 130 partnership with Clare Moore to put on the backbone of the innings total. Each of the Queensland bowler’s spells came and went as the total steadily climbed. So set was the partnership, that when it ended as Sianna Ginger’s bowling took Mack’s leg stump, there were no shouts of celebration from Queensland. Just a frustrated yell and jump from Mack herself (reminiscent of Master Kogah for a Zelda fandom crossover) – gone for 95 runs. In Mack’s absence Moore continued in a similar vein, and only lost her wicket being stumped fishing for more runs in the 49^th over. The NSW breakers completed the 50 overs with 7/309, their highest total so far at home ground Cricket Central. Jess Jonassen on return was the pick of the Queensland bowlers, bowling out her 10 overs for 58 runs conceded and three wickets.

Looking back over the 10 games that NSW have played at Cricket Central, they have never been beaten after posting over 300 (the joy of small statistics, this has in fact only happened once). So looking to defy that stat, the Queensland batters strode to the crease as the sun broke through the cloud. As the humidity dropped, they would be hoping to be able to reach the 310 goal set. But that was soon challenged, in the third over Breakers captain Lauren Cheatle took two wickets, firstly Mikayla Wrigley LBW, then next ball bowling Lauren Winfield-Hill. Bringing Jonassen to the crease to join the remaining opening batter, Georgia Redmayne, they scored quickly to make sure the total stayed in play. A spell of tight bowling from Sarah Coyte put a stop to that, and resulted in her bowling Jonassen for 26.

Redmayne was left to battle on, and was ably supported by Annie O’Neil who came on to bat in the 20th over. O’Neil muscled deliveries all over the park, even lofting down the ground for a 6. But just as the 6th wicket partnership was looking dangerously like catching up with the run rate, Coyte again caused a pivot in the game – bowling a double wicket maiden in the 32nd over – taking O’Neil and Hancock’s wickets. Ruby Strange had a fantastic knock, showing little fear of the NSW bowling attack and hitting big. Again, Queensland hopes started to rise, and Redmayne having feared previously running out of batting partners, was able to push on to bring up her century darting between wickets.

But time and run rate wait for no woman, and the hunt for runs was Queensland’s demise. First Strange pushed her luck too far and was caught at deep mid-wicket by Lauren Cheatle off of Sam Bate’s bowling. Then, only two balls after her century, Redmayne’s shot was caught on the boundary as she searched for an elusive 4 runs. 10 balls later the Queensland innings was over for 224, handing NSW victory, a bonus point and security at the top of the WNCL standings.

Helen (Crystallised Cricket) is a writer based in Dharug and Gundagarra country, and here is writing about a game played on Dharug country. She acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands that she writes from.