Fabulous Fire thrash Vics to claim WNCL decider

A brilliant century from captain Georgia Redmayne and a disciplined display with the ball have seen Queensland claim their first-ever Women's National Cricket League title in style, thrashing Victoria by 112 runs.

In-form opener Redmayne batted through the Queensland innings, with her 146-ball 134 not out laying the foundation for a mammoth total of 8-317, helped by a rapid-fire half-century from Mikayla Hinkley.

In reply, Victoria – who finished top of the table but went into the decider missing six internationals due to the tour of New Zealand – desperately needed big runs from in-form captain Elyse Villani.

Villani, the league's leading run-scorer, had averaged 175 in run chases this season but after she was caught on the rope for 18 trying to dispatch a full toss from rookie spinner Lilly Mills (3-36) onto the Junction Oval hill, Queensland had one hand firmly on the Ruth Preddey Cup.

A fighting half-century from Kim Garth briefly delayed Queensland's celebrations, but when Courtney Sippel took the final wicket in the 43rd over, bowling Victoria out for 205, history was officially made.

Redmayne's career-best form has been one of the stories of the WNCL season, and her batting has found yet another level this month since she stepped in as Queensland skipper in the absence of Australia representative Jess Jonassen.

She headed into the game fresh off scores of 90no and 99no and while she made a conservative start alongside aggressive opener Georgia Voll, her intentions to anchor the Queensland innings was crystal clear.

The Fire openers put on 64 for the first wicket before Voll holed out to the bowling of Tess Flintoff, out for a 39-ball 34, and then Charli Knott (5) chipped a return catch to teenage off-spinner Ella Hayward three overs later.

The dismissal of powerful allrounder Grace Harris (20) for relatively little damage ignited Victoria's hopes, with Queensland 3-119 after 22.4 overs.

However, a career-best knock from Hinkley quickly wrested back the momentum as she went after the inexperienced Victoria attack, sharing a crucial 111-run stand with her captain.

She reached the second fifty of her one-day domestic career from 51 deliveries, and while she was dismissed for 53 shortly after, her aggression had taken the wind from the sails of the Victorian attack.

While Laura Kimmince could not produce her trademark fireworks, removed by Garth for three, some crafty batting from Meagan Dixon at No.8 kept the pressure on the hosts, as she hit three fours and a six in a 12-ball 23.

At the other end, Redmayne worked through the gears, never looking troubled as she brought up a half-century from 79 deliveries.

The 27-year-old then upped the ante, her second fifty coming off just 52 balls, with a superb shot backward of point seeing her reach triple figures for the second time this WNCL season.

Redmayne, who juggles cricket with her other career as a doctor at the Tweed Hospital – passed the 500-run mark on the way, finishing the season with 531 runs at 132.75, with scores of 121, 35, 90no, 99no and 134no from her last five innings.

Irish quick Garth was the bright spot in a challenging day for the otherwise inexperienced Victoria attack – who boosted Queensland's total with 39 extras – finishing her 10 overs with 3-45.

Victoria's chances of pulling off an unlikely chase rested heavily on the shoulders of Villani, who came into the game with 593 runs for the season and within reach of the all-time record of 629, scored by Zoe Goss in the inaugural WNCL season in 1996-97.

However she was strangled by the Queensland bowlers and after fighting her way to 18 from 44 deliveries the pressure became too much, as she launched at a juicy full toss from Mills but couldn't manage to get it over the head of Prestwidge at deep midwicket.

She ended the season with 611 runs to her name, matching the efforts of the legendary Belinda Clark for NSW in 1997-98.

Sutherland, who made a surprise return from injury for the final, got off the mark with a boundary but likewise struggled to release the shackles, scoring 42 before chipping a return catch to Harris.

At 3-73 needing 245 from 174 the title was far from Victoria's reach, but an entertaining half-century from Garth (48 from 54), who got inventive with a series of ramps, provided entertainment, as did Nicole Faltum's 22-ball 25.

Ultimately it was Sippel who wrapped things up, picking up the final wicket of Courtney Neale to seal a famous win for the Fire.

The spinners shared the bulk of the spoils, with Mills taking 3-366in just her second game, and Harris bagging 4-35.

The title was a welcome relief for Queensland's players and staff, who overcame an unexpected COVID19 curveball in a dramatic lead-up to the domestic one-day decider.

Queensland and Cricket Australia were forced to scramble late on Friday night when the Victorian Government declared anyone who had arrived in the state from Brisbane since March 12 would be required to take a COVID19 test and isolate until they received a result.

All players and staff were tested on Friday night, and all results were returned as negative by 7am on Saturday morning, allowing the squad to arrive at Junction Oval on schedule.

Victoria welcomed Sutherland back to their XI, with the Australia allrounder's surprise return confirmed after she had been ruled out of the remainder of the domestic season, and Australia's tour of New Zealand, due to a stress reaction in her right femur earlier this month.

However, Sutherland was cleared by Cricket Australia and Cricket Victoria to play, thanks to a plan put in place following her diagnosis that aimed to allow her to rehabilitate to a point where she could take the field as a specialist batter in the domestic final.