Queensland gear up for WNCL final with big win over WA

Queensland have fine-tuned their preparations for next week's WNCL final with a convincing six-wicket bonus-point win over Western Australia.

After securing their spot in the decider following a 182-run win over the same opponent on Thursday, the Fire displayed the same ruthlessness with returning captain Jess Jonassen leading the way with a four-wicket haul.

Missing both Grace and Laura Harris who have left for the Women's Premier League in India, Queensland's bowling attack strangled the WA batters and bowled out the visitors for 115 in 34 overs.

Having left the Australian Test squad on Friday, Jonassen was at her miserly best and ran through the visiting middle order with 4-6 from five overs, including a wicket off her first ball.

The WNCL's leading wicket-taker, 20-year-old Grace Parsons (1-17), also added to her tally to now have 20 scalps for the season.

Teenage fast bowler Lucy Hamilton was thrown the new ball and removed WA openers Chloe Piparo and Maddy Darke in her five-over spell.

Piparo and Darke, both of whom were sitting in the top five run-scorers in the competition heading into this match, fell in eerily similar fashion as Hamilton's angle across the right handers drew thick edges which were snapped up at gully and point.

Wicketkeeper Georgia Redmayne left the field after the Jonassen ball, which bowled Chloe Ainsworth, ricocheted off the stumps on up into her chin.

She underwent precautionary scans and didn't bat, but is expected to be fit for next week's final.

Due to her absence, Lauren Winfield-Hill was promoted to open and looked in spectacular touch with six fours in her run-a-ball 29.

The Fire's eagerness to get the match finished as quickly as possible came at the cost of four wickets, with Georgia Voll (14), Charli Knott (2) and Mikayla Hinkley (23) also falling before the target was reached.

In the end it was player of the match Jonassen (29no) who teamed up with Sianna Ginger (15no) to get the Fire over the line with a 36-run partnership.

Earlier, Jonassen won the toss and chose to bowl after a deluge of rain hammered southeast Queensland on Friday.

WA left out spinner Lilly Mills (hamstring) and England's Amy Jones out of their XI, bringing in Shay Minolini and Poppy Stockwell.

Western Australia, who were still in the hunt for the WNCL final prior to these two matches against Queensland, finish the season in fourth spot with six wins, an improvement on last season when they finished fifth with four wins.

Queensland will be gunning for their second WNCL title when they face Tasmania at Blundstone Arena on Saturday.

WNCL 2023-24 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Total points PTS
1 Tasmanian Tigers Women TAS	12	9	2	0	1	0.98	0	5	43
2 Queensland Fire QLD	12	8	3	0	1	1.224	0	7	41
3 Victoria Women VIC	12	7	5	0	0	0.013	0	4	32
4 Western Australia Women WA	12	6	6	0	0	-0.113	0	4	28
5 NSW Women NSW	12	6	6	0	0	-0.105	0	2	26
6 South Australia Women SA	12	4	8	0	0	-0.063	0	3	19
7 ACT Meteors ACT	12	1	11	0	0	-2.006	0	0	4

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

PTS: Total points