It's the halfway point of the Pura Cup season; the ING Cup campaign has moved beyond its midway mark; and two-thirds of the summer's Test program has been completed.

But the women's cricket season is really only just beginning after South Australia's stunning 27-run win over Victoria at the Adelaide Oval yesterday.

The Victorians had entered the weekend as one of only two unbeaten teams in this summer's National Women's Cricket League series. But they left it having surrendered their joint billing with New South Wales and facing stiff competition from South Australia in the race for positions in the finals series.

A convincing 77-run triumph over the Scorpions on Saturday had confirmed the Victorians' edge over the South Australians on the table. And another win yesterday would have gone a long way to leaving New South Wales and Victoria out of reach of their rivals.

But the early loss of captain Belinda Clark (4), Louise Broadfoot (13) and Melanie Jones (11) - in pursuit of a victory target of 157 - quickly compromised the Spirit's plans of shutting the South Australians out of finals contention.

"It was a fantastic win; everybody pulled together really well to get the job done," enthused Heather Booth, one of the stars of the victory with a crucial 13 with the bat, two fine catches and a brilliant spell of bowling that netted figures of 2/11 off ten overs.

"We're a very young side but the girls have really stood up and taken on the challenge so far this year.

"Everybody in the team has given 100% in every match, and it's good for us to show the other teams that we have the talent to beat them.

"And also to demonstrate that we're potentially good enough to make the top two."

Captain Karen Rolton was in similarly outstanding form for the home team.

The Australian vice-captain struck 65 in the morning to provide most of the impetus to the Scorpions' innings and then complemented it in the afternoon with a haul of 1/24 from one delivery short of her full allotment of ten overs. Crucially, she was also responsible for the early demise of rival skipper Clark - Player of the Match on Saturday with a typically brilliant 84 - by having the Australian captain caught by Booth at mid on.

Her influence in helping to restrain the run flow; building the pressure on the Victorians; and knowing exactly when to introduce the likes of Booth and Player of the Match Belinda Noack (3/37) into the attack, was also instrumental.

Other results will still need to continue to fall the South Australians' way over the next three weekends if their first finals appearance for four years is to become a reality.

However events unfold, though, a New South Wales-Victoria match-up is now no longer the formality that many had imagined.

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd