The final day of the Kookaburra Junior Girls Strike League delivered a dramatic end, with the Victorian Big Cats edging out the Northern Territory in a super over.
Northern Territory won the toss and elected to bat, and despite early wickets, Federal’s Skylah Henwood (29) and Olivia Schulz (14) formed a solid 36-run partnership before both were dismissed in the eighth over. Henwood top-scored for the Territory, while Tracy Village’s Joanna Pickett (23*) continued her good form throughout the tournament, with the score ending 8/125.
Victoria Big Cats got off to a fast start in their batting innings with openers Evelyn Niedzwiedzki (43) and Zoe Tickner (42) combining for an 84-run partnership. Pint’s Abbie Halvorsen (2/15) broke open the innings with two quick wickets, while Vishali Bimbral (1/7) and Skylah Henwood (one run out) also helped to slow the Big Cats momentum. In the end, it came down to the final ball and two runs to win, with Skylah Henwood bowling a good length delivery which Tegan Rule (20*) could only hit for a single.
The super over saw the Big Cats score 14 runs, with Rule (11*) finding the boundary and several 2’s to set up a tough run chase for the local side. Tracy Village’s Ekam Dhillon (4*) and Schulz (6*) fell just 3-runs short, with Rule again the given the responsibility of bowling the super over.
Overall, the Kookaburra Junior Girls Strike League saw five well-fought matches between the Northern Territory and Victoria Big Cats, while continuing to provide a key pathway opportunity for the Territory’s best young girls in preparation for Cricket Australia’s U16 National Championships.
A big thank you to both teams, with special mention to the players, coaches, families and the Northern Territory Cricket curating team for making the tournament a success.