Sarah Coyte and Lucy Finn made all-round contributions to help continue NSW’s unbeaten run in the WNCL season
New South Wales Breakers v Tasmanian Tigers | WNCL
Sarah Coyte has added another extraordinary outing to her WNCL legend of unparalleled success with the veteran’s all-round show delivering a 37-run win for NSW over Tasmania.
A home final for the defending champions was all but confirmed with Sunday’s washed-out game between the ACT Meteors and South Australia and NSW stamped their position as deserving hosts of the title clash with another dominant victory, extending their unbeaten run in the season to 10 games.
It was a 128-run stand between the 10-time WNCL champion Coyte and second-gamer Lucy Finn that steered the Breakers innings out of choppy waters to take them to a total of 246 before the duo also contributed with a couple of wickets each as NSW bowled the Tigers out for 209.
After a 44-run win over the Tasmanians at the same venue, NSW again opted to bat first at Sydney’s Cricket Central but did not get the start they would have been hoping for as young quick Callie Wilson (3-35) ran through the top order that has been producing runs in bulk.
Both Tahlia Wilson (12 off 19) and Katie Mack (8 off 18) – who moved back to the opening spot as Alyssa Healy departed for her farewell series for Australia – top edged to wicketkeeper Lizelle Lee while Anika Learoyd (4 off 4) was trapped lbw.
England import Georgia Adams (22 off 36) and Maitlan Brown (23 off 41) could not convert their starts as the home side was left in a spot of bother on 6-88 when Coyte walked in to join Finn.
Finn, who is no stranger to making early impressions, having stunned with a 49no off 34 and the wicket of Ashleigh Gardner on her WBBL debut for Sydney Thunder in November, played a rescue hand with her knock of 64 off 82 in what was just her second appearance for NSW.
The 19-year-old played square of the wicket for bulk of her runs, adding a lofted straight drive for six as the highlight of her knock. Finn was ultimately caught in the deep off Kathryn Bryce (2-56), trying to attack the long off boundary again in the 47th over.
Her confident and mature knock, however, allowed the vastly experienced Coyte to motor on at the other end as she brought up her career-best score of 82 not out off 87 deliveries to take her side close to the 250 runs mark.
Tasmania got a strong start to their chase with the season’s leading run-scorer Rachel Trenaman bringing up another half-century for the Tigers.
But it was Finn who landed the first blow as the big-scoring Lee (22 off 33) chopped one on to her stumps in an attempt to come down and bash a short delivery.
Coyte then dismissed Trenaman (56 off 69), whose big swing missed the ball that then crashed her stumps, leaving the Tigers 2-87 after 20 overs.
Unable to do any wrong on the day, Coyte also dismissed last game’s centurion, Emma Manix-Geeves (7 off 14), with a direct hit run out as the visitors’ chase collapsed.
No.10 Maisy Gibson put up a fiery resistance, hitting two sixes and four boundaries in her blistering 45 off 38, but her lone hand was only good enough to reduce the margin of defeat in Tasmania’s final game of the season.
The three-time champions bow out with three wins and will finish second from the bottom, just above the so-far winless Victoria.
Meanwhile, NSW have a final pair of round games to come up next month against South Australia, who are in the race to be their final opponents.
WNCL 2025-26 standings
Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Ties
T
No results
N/R
Net Run Rate
NRR
Deductions
Ded.
Batting Bonus
Bat
Total points
PTS
1
NSW Women
NSW
10
10
0
0
0
1.134
0
4
44
2
Queensland Fire
QLD
10
6
4
0
0
0.072
0
3
27
3
Western Australia Women
WA
10
6
4
0
0
0.039
0
2
26
4
South Australia Women
SA
9
5
3
0
1
-0.224
0
1
23
5
ACT Meteors
ACT
9
4
4
0
1
-0.057
0
1
19
6
Tasmanian Tigers Women
TAS
12
3
9
0
0
0.002
0
3
15
7
Victoria Women
VIC
10
0
10
0
0
-1.028
1
0
-1
Legend
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
PTS: Total points