In the first of two back to back one day interstate Women's National Cricket League matches, the Victorian Spirit triumphed over the Western Fury by 94 runs at Abbett Park in Perth today.

This was a match of contrasts. The Fury in the field were sharp and accurate. A feather in the cap of coach Murray Robbins. By comparison, the Spirit could not emulate their hosts high standard but had the better share of the luck. The run out of the Fury captain Zoe Goss is the only high point of their fielding.

On the other hand, the Spirit ran well between the wickets, they took few risks in doing so and really set the standard for that aspect of the game. Whereas the Fury could well have run an extra 30 runs in running halfway down the track before agreeing not to run and heading back to safety. When they did pierce the field they often only ran two where a three was certainly possible.

Player of the match for this game was Melanie Jones who, as you will see, well deserved the accolade with a score of 95 runs and a display of exceptional fielding from the deep which removed the Fury captain.

Victoria won the toss and elected to bat on a humid, partly overcast morning.

Openers Belinda Clark and Louise Broadfoot took the score to 35 before Broadfoot 13 (from 23 balls), with the last ball of the ninth over played around a delivery from Fury captain Zoe Goss and was bowled. The ball shaved the pad on the way through and the bowler looked to have half turned in appeal before the death rattle of scattered stumps alerted her to her triumph.

The second wicket was worth one hundred runs when Spirit Belinda Clark swept at a leg side ball from Avril Fahey and played the ball into the stumps behind her after scoring 58 (92 balls). Victoria Spirit 135 at the fall of the second wicket at the end of the 32nd over.

Right hander Kelly Applebee fell to English import Dawn Holden in the following over. Without a score, she spooned a soft catch to Angelle Gray at gully.

Within sight of a century, big hitting Melanie Jones 95 (102) lofted Kelly Tyrrell to Dawn Holden in the deep at long off and was caught. She played a variety of orthodox strokes either side of the wicket including twelve boundaries and became top scorer and the fourth wicket to fall with the score now at 216.

Brooke McFarlane 36 (55) was unfortunately run out when her partner Cathryn Fitzpatrick pushed a ball from Tyrrell at the covers which was leapt upon by Gray whose quick thinking and sharp throw to the bowler at the non strikers end found McFarlane short of her ground. Spirit now 227 with the loss of the fifth wicket.

Fitzpatrick 16 (12) and Jane Franklin 3 (2) were not out after fifty overs had been bowled when the Victorian Spirit had accrued 241 runs for the loss of only five wickets.

There were no multiple wicket takers amongst seven Western Fury bowlers. Sarah Collyer went wicket less from her ten overs but was the most economical of the bowlers conceding 26 runs. The wicket takers were Goss (1-22) who took her wicket in her first over, Holden (1-45), Tyrrell (1-49) and Fahey (1-59).

The Western Fury were needing to score at 4.84 runs per over to surpass the Spirit score.

Elwyn Campbell was out for a second ball duck when Spirit fire brand Cathryn Fitzpatrick sped through the defense and knocked down the stumps. Already one wicket down without a score on the board and a stiff sea breeze assisting the bowler from the southern end.

In the initial stages of the Fury reply, the frequency of runs from sundries were neck and neck and at times ahead of runs scored from the bat.

Zoe Goss 5 (26) was run out looking for a third run when batting partner Heather Taylor lofted the ball into the deep extra covers and Melanie Jones made a direct hit from the boundary line at the non strikers end - to which Goss was returning. Western Fury now with 19 runs on the board and two wickets gone in the ninth over.

Another run out at the non strikers end occurred when Taylor drove straight back at bowler Shannon Young who tipped the ball into the stumps effecting the run out of Angelle Gray 8 (17) who was backing up two meters out of her ground. Three wickets for 55.

Pulling at a leg side ball from Shannon Young, Heather Taylor 19 (60) top edged into the mid wicket and was caught there by Belinda Clark. The fourth wicket had fallen with 55 still the score.

Attempting to glance a leg side ball from Young, Sarah Collyer 13 (42) popped the ball up off the shoulder of the bat into the backward square leg where it was taken on the circle by Clea Smith. Western Fury five wickets for 88 in the 29th over.

Avril Fahey 12 (26) lofted a straight drive off the bowling of Louise Broadfoot down the throat of Jane Franklin who was at mid off. The wicket of Fahey was the sixth to fall with 106 the score at that stage.

Making her debut for WA at number eight, Lauren Stammers 8 (15) issued up a soft catch to a short leg fielder Jodi Dean off the bowling of Clea Smith. The seventh wicket fell at 137.

Dawn Holden lofted a drive off Cathryn Fitzpatrick into the covers and was caught brilliantly by Shannon Young. The fielder had to reach high above her head to pull down the catch. A good catch to remove a quality player who had posted 43 (68) before the eighth wicket fell with the Fury score on 139.

The ninth wicket fell on 145 when Kelly Tyrrell 5 (4) was bowled by Fitzpatrick. When Rennee Chappell 3 (16) was bowled by Jane Franklin, the Western Fury were all out 147 in the 48th over.

The Spirit's best bowling was from the pace bowling from Cathryn Fitzpatrick which brought the reward of three wickets for thirty two runs from her nine overs. With two wickets for 25 runs from ten overs, Shannon Young was economical. One wicket each to Smith, Franklin and Broadfoot round out the wicket takers.

The Abbett park track is the same one which the host club Scarborough scored 300 runs in one day a week earlier in the mens grade competition. Conditions which suit the pace of Fitzpatrick and the Spirit.

© 2002 David Bebb

This report does not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Cricket Board.