FISHA AND PENNY CRUSH WHALES
- Knighto Archer
- Jan 31, 2016
- 4 min read
51,439 souls packed into the Bubble Arena in Worthsley for the Strikaland Cup cricket season opener, a 50-Over Match tournament across Strikaland, Peaceland and Fire Island.
The Worthsley Whales hosted the Hiccupum Gators, but much to the crowd's dismay, lost the toss. Penny, the Gators skipper, sent Finnie and her mob in to bat. Finnie and Watto opened the batting, and Wishy was given the new ball. The first ball of the Strikaland Cup, Wishy to Finnie, was a dot, but Finnie was quickly on the mob, pushing the next one through the covers for 3. Wishy closed off his over nicely, and after 1 over, the Whales sat at 0/4.
Hondy took the new ball at the other end, but Finnie immediately took the attack to her, cutting behind point for 2 and then driving through mid off for 3 more. Watto got into the action, driving powerfully through the same gap for the competition's first boundary.
Finnie took 5 more from the first two balls of Wishy's next over, but the Whales captain was sent on her way for a brisk 13 off 7, bowled through the gate off the first ball off Hondy's next over. Camo, in at 3, didn't last very long, either, the bails flying once again, Wishy cutting one away from the bat and hitting the off stump. Watto became the third to go in quick succession, LBW to Hondy for 5. In just 12 balls, the Whales had lost 3/3, and slumped to 3/21 off 5.1 overs.
April showed no signs of fear however, twice caressing Hondy to the boundary off the first two balls she faced! The pair saw out the rest of Wishy and Hondy, before taking to Peter Candles, April hitting three boundaries off one over. Together, they put on 50 before Kellie was caught behind Fisha, tickling one down the legside of the spinner. Penny took a good catch behind the stumps. Sherbet came and went, a lapse in concentration seeing him miss a full and straight, Fisha ball. 5/78.
April slowed down with the fall of two quick wickets, but looking good. She was distraught when she thick-edge a full delivery straight to Flake at point off Twider's bowling. In the next over, Galaxy II attacked Fisha outside the offstump, but only managed a faint edge to Penny. Galaxy 2 reviewed, but although HotSpot showed no signs of an edge, Snicko showed a spike and Galaxy II was sent on her way.
Nuttie and Hinty figured the best way to defend was to attack, and went after Fisha and the pacemen at the other end. Hinty scored a quickfire 20 in a partnership of 35, before Fisha claimed another, bowled. Nuttie continued with some inventive and smart shots, but was soon dismissed for a run-a-ball 30, cutting Fisha straight to point. When Kliney chipped one to a Short Mid On, (standing level with the popping crease), Fisha had a career-best 6 wicket haul!
The Whales had been bowled out for 159 in just 37 overs.
Berry, a new recruit to the Gators, took a single off her first ball, putting the whishy of the moment, Fisha, on strike. Fisha cover drove Snoope for four, before running 2 on the next ball. The Gators needed early wickets, and an early wicket, they got, Berry caught by Watto at slip, attempting a driver off Snoope.
This brought Penny to the crease, who joined Fisha - a pair who know each other's game well. After 10 overs, the Gators were 1/50, and quickly taking the game away from the Whales. The first two balls of the 11th over (Nuttie bowling to Penny) went four (through midwicket) and then six (over backward point). Fisha and Penny kept the score ticking over with singles, but more importantly, found the boundary regularly.
The Whales needed to act, and fast. Finnie decided a bowling change might to the trick, and Galaxy II delivered with her first ball. Although it might not have been pretty - Fisha bashed a full toss out of the middle of the bat, straight to Sherbet at midwicket - the Whales would take it, no doubt! Fisha made a beautiful 38, to back up a 6-fer earlier. Penny scored runs with ease at one end, but the Whales would have thought they were in with a chance when Carrot snicked off for just 1, giving Galaxy II her second wicket.
Tyro came to the crease at 3/109, though, so there was a lot of work still to be done on the Whales part. Tyro played the anchor role, as Penny blasted everything everywhere. She took 14 off Galaxy II's next over, forcing her out of the attack. In the 26th over, she blasted a massive, 96 metre six over cow corner. A leg-bye enabled her to keep the strike for the start of the 27th. The Gators needed 6 to win, and Penny needed 6 for her hundred! Hinty would be the lucky one to bowl it.
Penny knocked the ball wide of mid on and Tyro scampered back to win. She let the next delivery go outside her offstump. Hinty straightened her line, and Penny said "thank you very much," timing the ball perfectly, between square leg and midwicket, for the match-winning boundary. She brought up her hundred (her 4th) in just 81 balls, hitting 9 fours and 2 sixes. In the process, she became the 5th whishy to score 1000 runs in Strikaland First-Class Cricket.
The Gators defeated the Whales by 7 wickets, with a huge 141 balls remaining in their innings! That should put them in good stead come the end of Round 1.
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