NSW Breakers have one foot in the WNCL final, but their hopes of reaching their first decider since 2019-20 still rest on the outcome of South Australia's game at the WACA
Match Report:
ScorecardNSW defeat ACT, now face anxious wait for finals fate
New South Wales have kept their Women's National Cricket League season alive with a rain-affected win over ACT Meteors, and now face a nervous wait to see if they will advance to the final.
The Breakers were 2-140 from 29 overs chasing the Meteors' 7-265 when rain forced players from the field at Cricket Central - comfortably ahead of the par score of 122.
Follow live: South Australia chasing 255 for a spot in the WNCL final
Following a lengthy delay, the game finally resumed with NSW needing three runs from 12 balls, with Georgia Adams taking just two legal deliveries to seal an eight-wicket (DLS) win.
It was enough to see them climb to second spot on the table on 33 points, but they will only remain there - and qualify to play Queensland in the WNCL final on March 2 - if South Australia fail to chase 255 in their ongoing game against Western Australia at the WACA Ground.
The third-ranked South Australians are on 30 points and will finish on 34 with a win in the west. The result also ended Tasmania's hopes of making the top two, regardless of the outcome of their ongoing game against Victoria in Hobart.
A breakthrough innings from 19-year-old Grace Lyons helped the Meteors post their solid total.
Lyons, who was part of Australia's U19 World Cup squad last month, had a previous high score of 33 from 15 List A games but after bringing up her first WNCL fifty, she looked poised to go even bigger before she holed out on 97 in the 49th over.
Her 119-run stand with Shivani Mehta (53) was crucial in helping the ACT recover from 3-51 after the Meteors elected to bat first.
Hannah Darlington (2-25) and Sammy-Jo Johnson, whose 2-35 included her 100th WNCL wicket, led the way with the ball for NSW.
Elsa Hunter (42) and Tahlia Wilson (38) gave the Breakers a solid start to their chase, while Anika Learoyd (29no) and Adams (21no) did enough to ensure they were safely ahead of the par score when the rain arrived.
WNCL 2024-25 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | Bat | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
QLD
|
12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.952 | 0.5 | 4 | 35.5 |
|
2
NSW
|
12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.343 | 0 | 1 | 33 |
|
3
TAS
|
12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.085 | 0 | 3 | 31 |
|
4
SA
|
12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.405 | 0 | 2 | 30 |
|
5
VIC
|
12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -0.288 | 0 | 1 | 25 |
|
6
ACT
|
12 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | -0.863 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
|
7
WA
|
12 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | -0.541 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
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