Day three of the Kookaburra Junior Girls Strike League was a memorable one for the Northern Territory team, who claimed a thrilling 9-run victory over the Victorian Big Cats in the second T20 match of the series.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Northern Territory opened with Tracy Village’s Ekam Dhillon (72*) and Waratah’s Abbey Warton (31), who combined for a 137-run opening stand to put the hosts in a strong position. Dhillon’s innings included 10 x 4’s and 1 x 6 and is one of the highest scores by a Northern Territory girl in pathway competitions, as she led the home side to a total of 1/149 from their 20 overs.
In reply, the Victorian Big Cats faced early pressure from Pints Jordi O’Toole who claimed key wickets — dismissing Mya Newey, Grace Luff and Millie Gold to finish with impressive figures of 3/28. Tegan Rule (54*) looked to bring the momentum back into the Big Cats favour as her partnerships with Zoe Tickner (20) and Lucy Simpson (15*) took the game to the final overs, however Palmerston’s Vishali Bimbral (1/16) held her composure with the ball, with the Victorians falling short by 9 runs.
Federal’s Skylah Henwood (0/15 off 4 overs) and Dhillon (0/16 off 3 overs) both contributed with economical spells which included a maiden over each.
The Kookaburra Junior Girls Strike League continues with a 50-over match on Thursday (10 July) at Cazalys Arena.