The Women’s National Cricket League champion Queensland Fire squad will return home to Brisbane tomorrow after winning their second title, defeating NSW by seven runs in Sydney today.

 

Today’s win was the second time in Queensland’s history that the team has won the Ruth Preddy Cup, following their breakthough win in 2020-21 when the Fire beat Victoria in Melbourne.

Today’s decider was the third Final in a row that Queensland had contested and reversed the result of last year’s Final when NSW defeated Queensland at Allan Border Field.

The Fire produced a record score in a WNCL Final today, with their score of 7-332 breaking the record they set in their win over Victoria in 2020-21.

Captain Georgia Redmayne (105) scored her second century in a Final, and  became the first woman to score four centuries in a WNCL season.

Australian allrounder Grace Harris was player of the match for her sparkling 111 from 94 balls, with she and Redmayne putting on a stand of 192 for the third wicket.

English international Lauren Winfield-Hill delivered a quickfire 55 from 33 balls as the Fire charged to their commanding total.

Redmayne, Harris and Charli Knott become two-time championship winners for Queensland.

NSW made a strong chase of the imposing target, charging to 1-129 before rain and lightining forced a two-hour delay. At the time of the break, they were in front of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) Par score by six runs.

When play resumed, the revised target saw NSW needing 91 runs from nine overs, with game reduced to 32 overs.

The Fire turned the result in their favour with the dismissal of the two set batters in the space of four balls in the 28th over as Jonassen and Annie O’Neil combined for a run out of Tahlia Wilson before Kaite Mack fell to a catch.

Jonassen had to bowl the final over with NSW needing 15 runs to win but the wickets of Georgia Adams and Maitlan Brown secured the victory for Queensland.

NSW, which had seen the retiring Alyssa Healy hit 64 in the run-chase match, finished 6-212.

Jonassen, playing her 101st game, finished with 2-39 while Knott and Sianna Ginger each claimed key wickets.