After a washout on day two, teams returned to action at the Venus Cup with all to play for.
The day begun with important matchups in round 5, while the postponed round 3 replaced what was set to be a finals round.
Eyes turned to the key morning up between St Matthew’s Collegiate and Takapuna Grammar School, which would end up being pivotal in tournament standings.
St Matthew’s captain, Emma McLeod, created history by scoring the first-ever Venus Cup century on day one, and incredibly broke her own record with a remarkable 133 runs off just 65 balls in what was an awe-inspiring innings.
Read about all the prizewinners, and the day three match reports below, or click the following link to view scorecards and stats.
GILLETTE VENUS COMPETITION CENTRE
STANDINGS:
- St Matthew's Collegiate School
- St Hilda's Collegiate School
- Takapuna Grammar School Cricket
- Tauranga Girls' College
- Wellington Girls' College
- Christchurch Girls' High School
JOINT MVP'S:
- Emma McLeod (SMCS)
- Rishika Jaswal (TGS)
TEAM MVP'S:
- Audrey Melhuish (TGS)
- Ava Register (SMCS)
- Chloe Deerness (SHCS)
- Elle Archer (TGC)
- Nell McCrystal (WGC)
- Sacha Arnold (CGHS)
--------------------------------------------------------------
DAY THREE MATCH REPORTS
ROUND FIVE:
St Hilda’s Collegiate 96/1 (C Deerness 40* & 2-13) beat Wellington Girls’ College 94/6 (K Chandler 19, F Larsen 1-8), Bert Sutcliffe Oval
St Hilda’s Collegiate returned to their winning ways this morning with a comprehensive victory over Wellington Girls’ College.
After being sent in to bat, WGC made a positive start through openers Kate Chandler (19) and Eva Hay (10). Chloe Deerness (2-13) swung the tide in the seventh over – taking two wickets in consecutive balls, including the dangerous Chandler. From that point on SHCS looked in control – bowling economically and taking wickets at opportune times. WGC grinded hard to end up at 96/1 after their 20 overs.
St Hilda’s came out all guns blazing with the bat, with openers Ella Gibson (11) and Megha Senthilkumar (34*) looking in good touch. A Frida Larsen (1-8) LBW then brought the in form Chloe Deerness to the crease, who set about plundering 40 runs off just 27 balls – combining with Senthilkumar to see their team home in just the eleventh over.
St Matthews Collegiate 102/5 (E McLeod 41 & 3-14) beat Takapuna Grammar 101/10 (M Scott 22, S Hallman 2-20), Lincoln Green
Unbeaten teams Takapuna Grammar and St Matthew’s College met this morning, in what was a crucial match for both sides.
St Matthew’s decision to bowl first paid off, as Lucy Jurlina (2-16) dismissed the dangerous Rishika Jaswal. SMCS showed they were well in the battle by securing two important run outs, claiming the wicket of Takapuna’s top scorer, Maia Scott (23). Following a great start, SMCS continued to pick up wickets through captain Emma McLeod (3-14) and Vanessa Taylor (2-10), seeing Takapuna bowled out in the 19th over for 101 runs.
Openers McLeod (41) and Sally Booth (22) then put in a valuable opening stand for SMCS, making it to the 12th over before Izzy Fox (1-13) removed Booth. Captain Scout Hallman (2-20), Rishika Jaswal (1-18), and Izzy Fox worked hard for Takapuna, but it was to be in vain. Contributions from Vanessa Taylor (13) and Francesca Wells (11*) helping SMCS to a win in the 19th over.
Tauranga Girls College 138/4 (A Harvey 73*, O Baxter 2-15) beat Christchurch Girls’ HS 93/8 (S Arnold 22, P Ussher 1-12), Lincoln No. 3
Tauranga Girls recorded the first win of their Venus Cup campaign this morning, set up by a fantastic Amelia Harvey (73*) half-century.
Electing to bat first, TGC were steered to a competitive total thanks to a composed knock from opener Harvey, who and batted the innings for her side and swatted 10 fours in the process. She was well supported by Mayelan Opperman (12) and Stella Hoskin (12). CGHS’s bowling unit stuck at the task, with four bowlers picking up a wicket each.
For TGS, a team effort with the ball saw CGHS struggle to gain momentum. Girls High captain, Sacha Arnold, again showed promise – scoring at better than run-a-ball before being bowled by Onnah Baxter (2-15). All six of TGS’s bowlers were able to pick up a wicket, stemming the run flow and so picking up a 45-run victory.
ROUND THREE:
St Matthew’s Collegiate 219/4 (E McLeod 133, S Sweeney 1-11) beat Christchurch Girls’ HS 137/4 (Heidi Clouston 2-30), Lincoln Green
St Matthew’s put a stamp on their Venus Cup campaign with an 82-run victory over Christchurch Girls, and in the process earning the title of Venus Cup champions for 2023.
A scintillating innings from Emma McLeod (133) saw her strike 23 fours and one six while striking just over 200. McLeod was picking gaps for fun and showing her full array of shots in what is sure to be a record-breaking innings. Vanessa Taylor (37) and Francesca Wells (28) played valuable hands to see their side total a whopping 219/4. Heidi Clouston (2-30) bowled a handy spell against the St Matthew’s onslaught, as did captain Sacha Arnold (1-32) who has impressed all tournament.
CGHS fought valiantly in response led by Lilah Cowan (57*) who played a classy knock, as well as captain Arnold (16) who came out the blocks firing. Unfortunately for the cantabrians, tight bowling and regular wickets from SMCS made the mountain too high to climb, eventually losing by 82 runs. India Bartlett (1-6) and Sophie Sweeney (1-11) the pick of the St Matt’s bowling unit.
St Hilda’s Collegiate 143/1 (M Senthilkumar 55*, A McClean 2-20) beat Tauranga Girls’ College 138/4 (A Harvey 43, E Archer 1-19), Bert Sutcliffe Oval
St Hilda’s finished their tournament in style with a 9-wicket victory over Tauranga Girls’, and earning themselves second place in tournament standings along the way.
Electing to bat first, Tauranga saw early success through openers Amelia Harvey (43) and Aimee Unwin (13). Harvey continued her fine form from previous match alongside S Hoskin (12), who put on a valuable 73 runs for the second wicket. Anna McLean (2-20) had the golden arm for St Hilda’s, taking the key wicket of Harvey, while the combination of Hannah Wilsons' picked up a wicket each – helping restrict TGC to 138/4.
St Hilda’s made it look easy in reply though openers Ella Gibson (24) and Megha Senthilkumar (55*), who enjoyed a fantastic 81-run opening stand. The wicket of Gibson brought team MVP Chloe Deerness (39*) to the crease, batting alongside the set Senthilkumar and steering their side to victory in the 15th over.
Takapuna Grammar 84/2 (R Jaswal 33* & 3-18) beat Wellington Girls’ College 83/10 (K Chandler 27 & 2-8), Lincoln No.3
Takapuna Grammar picked up a convincing 8-wicket victory to secure a third-place finish in the tournament standings.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, WCG came out firing through captain Kate Chandler (27), who whacked a quickfire 27 runs off just 16 balls. Takapuna’s Audrey Melhuish (3-22) had different ideas, though, removing the other opener cheaply and finishing with a handy three wicket bag. Joint tournament MVP, Rishika Jaswal, again showed why she is one to watch – taking three wickets through the middle and restricting WGC to just 83 runs.
In reponse, Izzy Fox (25) and Jaswal (33*) got Takapuna off to a great start, putting on 46 runs for the first wicket. Jaswal anchored the innings for Takapuna, with support from captain Scout Hallman (11*), who saw their team home in the 15th over.
--------------------------------------------------------------
New Zealand Cricket would like to thank all players, coaches, managers, parents and supporters alike for two great days of cricket. We would also like to acknowledge the outstanding groundstaff at Lincoln, our awesome team of Umpires and Scorers, and the Lincoln University for providing a great experience for the cricketers.
