Lanning named WNCL Player of Tournament

Meg Lanning has been crowned the Women's National Cricket League player of the tournament after a brilliant patch of form that saw her post the highest score in the competition's 21-year history.

The Australia and Victoria skipper played just four of six matches due to international commitments, but finished far and away the tournament's top scorer with 359 runs at 119.66, including scores of 190 and 107no.

Quick Single: NSW Breakers claim record 18th title

She claimed the maximum of six votes in three of those four matches, taking out the player of the tournament title with 18 votes, while her NSW counterpart Alex Blackwell and ACT spinner Erin Osborne finished joint second with 14 votes apiece.

Tasmania have claimed the Women's Spirit of Cricket award, which honours respect for opponents, umpires and the game, after a season that saw them snap a nine-game losing streak when they defeated the ACT at Blundstone Arena.

Meanwhile, cricket.com.au have put together their WNCL team of the tournament, with the absence of Australian international for the final round paving the way for some less familiar faces to win spots in the XI.

Just one NSW player has made the XI despite the Breakers taking out their 18th WNCL title, due largely to the wide spread of outstanding individual performances across their six pool matches.

Cricket.com.au's WNCL team of the tournament

1. Beth Mooney (wk) (Queensland)

M: 6 | Runs: 325 | Ave: 54.16 | SR: 92.32 | HS: 146 | 100s: 1 | 50s: 1

Mooney started the tournament with a half-century for the Fire and she followed up with scores of 35, 48 and 35 to provide a strong presence at the top of the order for Queensland. An eight against the ACT was her only failure, but she more than made up for it with a 144-ball 146 in the final round that powered Queensland into the final – securing Mooney the opportunity to open the batting for the Southern Stars in the process.

2. Georgia Redmayne (Tasmania)

M: 6 | Runs: 295 | Ave: 59.00 | SR: 78.45 | HS: 116 | 100s: 2 | 50s: 0

The 22-year-old moved from NSW to Tasmania this season seeking more opportunities and she flourished, scoring two centuries for her adopted state. A left-handed wicketkeeper-batter, Redmayne was a standout in both of the Roar's wins for the season. She made starts in two other matches and just edges out Victoria veteran Sarah Elliot for the second openers' position thanks to her superior strike rate.

3. Meg Lanning (c) (Victoria)

M: 4 | Runs: 359 | Ave: 119.66 | SR: 106.84 | HS: 190 | 100s: 2 | 50s: 1

The player of the tournament and the competition's leading run scorer despite only playing four of six matches before heading off on international duties, VicSpirit captain Meg Lanning was at her typically damaging best this season. Her 190 against Tasmania at Blundstone Arena broke her own record for the highest score in the competition's 21-year history.

4. Alex Blackwell (NSW)

M: 4 | Runs: 282 | Ave: 94.00 | SR: 85.45 | HS: 113* | 100s: 1 | 50s: 2

Like Lanning, Blackwell was in imperious form before international duties kept her out of the final two Breakers' matches. The NSW skipper only failed to pass fifty once in four innings and while she bats at three for her state, she slots in behind the Australia skipper in this batting order.

5. Charlotte Edwards (South Australia)

M: 6 | Runs: 312 | Ave: 52.00 | SR: 78.45 | HS: 104 | 100s: 2 | 50s: 1

One of the all-time greats of the game, Edwards has been a very handy addition to the Scorpions' batting line-up this season. Unfortunately, her efforts with the bat weren't enough to keep South Australia in the running for a second successive WNCL final, but it's hard to go past two centuries and an average above fifty.

6. Tahlia McGrath (South Australia)

M: 6 | Runs: 221 | Ave: 36.83 | SR: 69.06 | HS: 81 | 100s: 0 | 50s: 1 | W: 10 | Ave: 21.20 | Econ: 4.52 | BBI: 3-36

McGrath has been on the radar of national selectors for some time now and after producing a consistent tournament for the Scorpions, the seam-bowling allrounder was rewarded with her ODI debut for Australia against South Africa late last month. Having moved to No.3 in the South Australia batting line up, she averaged 36.83, while she was also damaging with the ball, picking up 10 wickets.

7. Delissa Kimmince (Queensland)             

M: 6 | Runs: 201 | Ave: 50.25 | SR: 89.33 | HS: 93no | 100s: 0 | 50s: 2 | W: 5 | Ave: 34.20 | Econ: 4.88 | BBI: 3-37

The former Southern Stars allrounder's performances this season are a major reason the Fire made their third-ever WNCL final, playing a key hand in wins over NSW and Western Australia. Averaging over fifty with the bat, Kimmince has also picked up four wickets and slots in as a second allrounder option on this team.

8. Molly Strano (Victoria)

M: 6 | W: 13 | Ave: 16.15 | Econ: 3.85 | BBI: 4-44

After missing last year's WNCL season through injury, off-spinner Strano has been very impressive for Victoria this summer, sitting equal top of the wicket-taking table with Wellington and Tasmania's Brooke Hepburn. She's also capable with the bat and while an experiment with the 22-year-old at the top of the order didn't work out for the Spirit during the opening round of the WNCL, she wins a spot in this team of the tournament for her spin.

9. Erin Osborne (ACT)

M: 6 | W: 9 | Ave: 22.44 | Econ: 3.48 | BBI: 4-24 | Runs: 206 | Ave: 34.33 | SR: 73.57 | HS: 78 | 100s: 0 | 50s: 1

Left out of Australia's squad to play South Africa, off-spinner Osborne did well enough with both bat and ball to be included as an allrounder in this line-up. The ACT came agonisingly close to making the WNCL final when she scored 78 in the final match, and she finished in the top 10 run scorers for the tournament. She also finished eighth on the wicket takers charts and came third in the player of the tournament voting, to just beat out international teammate Kristen Beams for a place in this team – but it may have been a different story had the Aussie leggie played a full complement of matches.

10. Amanda Wellington (South Australia)

M: 6 | W: 13 | Ave: 17.61 | Econ: 3.94 | BBI: 3-30

Leg-spinner Wellington has earned a reputation as one of the most dangerous bowlers on the domestic circuit and her 13 wickets this season were enough to earn an international debut for Australia in Coffs Harbour. While Beams is all about line, length and economy, Wellington produces prodigious spin and the pair would complement each other nicely in the same bowling attack.

11. Nicole Goodwin (ACT)

M: 6 | W: 12 | Ave: 14.25 | Econ: 3.50 | BBI: 3-12

Goodwin's outstanding tournament for the Meteors played a big role in the ACT's strong season that saw them fall just shy of a place in the final. The 32-year-old left-arm pace bowler picked up at least one wicket in every match and boasts the tournament's best average at the end of the regular season. Tasmania's Hepburn picked up one more wicket than Goodwin, but the Meteors bowler wins out with a superior average and economy rate.  

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