The NSW women's cricket team fought back from a precarious position at 2 for 2 to claim the national one-day title for a record seventh consecutive season on Saturday.
The Breakers beat Victoria by 70 runs in the final of the Women's National Cricket League at the SCG.
Victoria won the toss and dismissed Leah Poulton leg before wicket from the first ball.
Skipper Alex Blackwell fell soon after for one and NSW was 2 for 2.
However, a brilliant 144-run, third-wicket stand between Lisa Sthalekar (74) and Rachael Haynes helped boost the total to 7 for 310, the highest ever in a WNCL final.
Haynes, who this time last year was the Victorian captain, posted 156 before holing out in the 49th over.
Haynes' innings, lasting 139 balls and including 20 fours and two sixes, was the first century by a NSW player in a WNCL final.
The Victorian chase started at a run-a-ball, despite Meg Lanning falling in the seventh over with 24 runs from 27 balls.
A 103-run, second-wicket partnership between Jessica Cameron (46 from 46) and Elyse Villani (75 off 84) kept the pressure on.
The partnership was finally broken with the score on 130 when Lisa Sthalekar found the edge of Cameron's bat and she was caught behind.
Villani and Sarah Elliott (28 from 32) then combined for a 45-run stand before Villani was brilliantly caught on the cover boundary by a fast moving Ellyse Perry.
Seemingly cruising at 3 for 175, Villani's dismissal sparked a massive collapse with the visitors losing their next four wickets for 22 runs and they were all out for 240 in the 42nd over.
Haynes was named player of the match for her outstanding batting and said she felt relaxed even with the score at 2 for 2 early on.
"I didn't feel like the pitch played a role in the early wickets, so I felt that if we knuckled down we could form a partnership, and fortunately Lisa (Sthalekar) and I were able to do that," she said.
NSW finished on top of the ladder in both the WNCL and WT20 competitions at the end of the preliminary rounds, and lost only one match all year, which unfortunately was the WT20 Final last Thursday against the Victorians.
AAP
Tags: cricket, sport, nsw, australia First posted January 14, 2012 21:30:19
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