New South Wales has taken a major step toward the defence of its National Women's Cricket League crown with a seven wicket win over Victoria at the Bankstown Oval in Sydney today.

The victory, achieved with eight overs to spare, hands the Blues a 1-0 lead in the competition's best-of-three finals series.

It wasn't the prettiest of matches but it was a win that emphatically underlined New South Wales' favouritism in this series. There was a delay - a legacy of heavy rain across Sydney yesterday and an accordingly wet outfield - of 80 minutes to the starting time. But, when the Blues began the campaign for a sixth straight national title, it was as though everything was running according to plan.

Wickets were slow to arrive but clamps were immediately placed on the Victorian run-scoring rate. Invited to bat first, the visitors encountered particular problems against Emma Twining (2/20), whose first four overs were all maidens and whose opening spell of six overs netted the astonishing figures of 1/3 in total.

Against her outstanding left arm pace bowling, the prospect of a large Victorian score rapidly loomed as an impossibility.

Twining has been a major force behind the Blues' so-far undefeated campaign in 2001-02; was the Player of the Finals Series at this time last year; and, if this form continues, will be a major contender for that award again.

The Victorians' problems were further compounded by the presence of a slow outfield and by the loss of key batsmen Belinda Clark (18) and Melanie Jones (8) in the space of nine deliveries.

Clark, captaining her adopted state against her native one, was aiming to turn the tables on her former teammates after two low individual scores and two losses for Victoria in the closing round of this season's preliminary matches. But, after a vigilant start, she played over the top of a delivery from Bronwyn Calver (3/23) that she was aiming to swing to leg, and a general Victorian slide had its catalyst.

Jones was dismissed in the following over when a mistimed cut permitted Martha Winch the chance to accept a wonderful reflex catch at slip. Kelly Applebee (0) promptly became another Calver victim when she cut to gully; Cathryn Fitzpatrick (5) was trapped in front of her stumps; and Stephanie Theodore (9) miscued with a sweep stroke. Variously, the Victorians had fallen to 4/40 and 6/74.

Not even a resolute innings from Louise Broadfoot (41) could help reverse a general sense of decline that ensured that Victoria advanced no further than a disappointing 133.

The visitors' bowlers worked hard to restore the balance but even contributions from the entirety of the New South Wales upper order guaranteed the home team's win.

Lisa Sthalekar (31), Winch (29), Michelle Goszko (28*) and Lisa Keightley (20) all played controlled innings in the course of a pursuit that spanned 42 overs in total.

New South Wales, champion of the National League for each of the five years in which the title has been on offer, will hope to close out another winning campaign when the teams resume their battle at the same venue tomorrow.

© 2002 CricInfo Ltd