South Australia finish NSW’s unbeaten run to remain in race

A staff effort from the South Australian lineup took them over the road in a nervy end at Adelaide Oval

South Australia have saved their WNCL hopes alive and kicking after registering an exciting three-wicket win over table-toppers New South Wales at Adelaide Oval.

The dwelling aspect chased down the 260 runs with three balls to spare at hand the NSW Breakers their first defeat of the season. Helping their trigger have been Victoria, who fought lengthy sufficient to stop second-placed Queensland from taking a batting bonus, which might have given them a degree’s lead over South Australia with a recreation every to return for either side.

WNCL 2025-26 standings

Team	Matches performed M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No outcomes N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Total factors PTS
1 NSW Women NSW	11	10	1	0	0	1.024	0	4	44
2 Western Australia Women WA	11	7	4	0	0	0.183	0	3	31
3 Queensland Fire QLD	11	7	4	0	0	0.159	0	3	31
4 South Australia Women SA	11	7	3	0	1	-0.117	0	1	31
5 ACT Meteors ACT	11	4	6	0	1	-0.277	0	1	19
6 Tasmanian Tigers Women TAS	12	3	9	0	0	0.002	0	3	15
7 Victoria Women VIC	11	0	11	0	0	-1.028	1	0	-1

Legend

M: Matches performed

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No outcomes

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

PTS: Total factors

Despite one other half-century from Courtney Webb and scores within the forties from Bridget Patterson and captain Jemma Barsby, the sport was on the knife’s edge with 25 wanted off 20 and three wickets in hand.

But Amanda-Jade Wellington performed a sensible cameo (28no off 22) earlier than teenager Eleanor Larosa hit a boundary and sealed the sport within the ultimate over.

The Breakers had nothing to play for aside from some match follow for subsequent week’s ultimate, which they’re assured to host after cementing their place on the prime of the ladder, and opted to have successful first.

Katie Mack had one other productive outing in sky blue, with the opener scoring 69 off 88 after enduring a tough powerplay, the place her aspect misplaced two wickets for 33 runs.

Fellow opener Tahlia Wilson, then again, couldn’t make it a memorable first outing after her maiden call-up to the Australian ODI aspect for the upcoming tour of the West Indies.

After the Breakers have been left 3-64 on the finish of the 18th over, Mack discovered assist in English import Georgia Adams. The duo put up 83 runs collectively earlier than Mack was caught at positive leg in an try to comb Barsby (1-45) within the thirty fifth over.

Adams then labored with Maitlan Brown (46no off 49) to maintain the scoreboard transferring, in one other huge, 73-run partnership for NSW.

Adams’ positive knock – full of 12 boundaries – got here to an finish in an unlucky method on 90 off 95 when she was run out as Brown’s shot straight down the wicket deflected off bowler Wellington’s hand and caught her quick on the non-striker’s finish.

Nineteen-year-old allrounder Lucy Finn, who had declared hitting sixes as her favourite part of the game after her debut round, smashed two of these in consecutive deliveries to take the Breakers previous 250.

NSW captain Lauren Cheatle (1-45) then landed an early blow to South Australia’s chase, eradicating Ellie Johnston for five within the third over courtesy of a pointy diving catch by Frankie Nicklin at cowl.

A 70-run stand between South Australia’s Melbourne Renegades duo Emma de Broughe and Courtney Webb pulled issues again on the observe.

NSW once more utilized the brakes after Sarah Coyte bowled de Broughe (36 off 43) within the 14th over and the stress resulted in three extra fast wickets.

Despite trying stable in her run-a-ball 59, Webb once more could not stick round for an enormous knock when she hit Nicklin (2-23) to Cheatle at long-on. She now has 4 scores within the fifties and one forty within the final eight innings within the competitors, together with a 61 within the earlier recreation.

Webb’s dismissal introduced collectively the skilled pair of Patterson and Barsby and regardless of a jittery begin, the 2 received all the way down to doing what they wanted to do – stick round and preserve chipping by means of the required runs.

They saved the asking charge in examine and had put South Australia on prime earlier than deciding to up the scoring.

Patterson skied one in an try to return all the way down to Adams in forty second over on 40, however fell protected on the event. But she wasn’t as fortunate when she then shuffled throughout to hit her over the ‘keeper in her subsequent over, solely to be caught by Sam Bates at positive leg, departing on 42 off 49.

Earlier within the over, Barsby had pulled out a swap hit to land a 100m six to ease the climbing required charge.

The chase had one other twist when Barsby and Wellington tried to sneak a fast two, needing 26 off 21, however the former was caught quick on the second run. The throw got here in from Lauren Cheatle from the straight boundary and bowler Coyte took out the stumps.

Both sides had a nervous second as floor umpire Peter George referred the choice to the third umpire, who adjudged the stumps have been taken down by the ball and never Coyte’s empty palms.

Wellington, undeterred, hit a boundary the following ball and added six extra runs from the following over with Larosa, earlier than hitting Cheatle for an enormous six in a nine-run penultimate over.

With 5 wanted, any scares of Coyte pulling off one other last-over miracle with the ball like she had within the title-decider in opposition to the identical aspect a couple of years in the past, albeit in Tasmanian colors, was averted when Larosa hit her to the boundary on the second supply.

The job, nonetheless, isn’t completed for South Australia as they path Queensland on internet run charge and would require an enormous victory in opposition to NSW once more on Saturday, if Fire have been to win as properly.

They additionally face a risk from Western Australia, who’ve two video games to return in opposition to the ACT Meteors and path SA and Queensland by 5 factors.

WNCL 2025-26 standings

Team	Matches performed M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No outcomes N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Total factors PTS
1 NSW Women NSW	11	10	1	0	0	1.024	0	4	44
2 Western Australia Women WA	11	7	4	0	0	0.183	0	3	31
3 Queensland Fire QLD	11	7	4	0	0	0.159	0	3	31
4 South Australia Women SA	11	7	3	0	1	-0.117	0	1	31
5 ACT Meteors ACT	11	4	6	0	1	-0.277	0	1	19
6 Tasmanian Tigers Women TAS	12	3	9	0	0	0.002	0	3	15
7 Victoria Women VIC	11	0	11	0	0	-1.028	1	0	-1

Legend

M: Matches performed

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No outcomes

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

PTS: Total factors