Women R2 South V North
Captain Bronte Johns won the toss and decided to bowl.
North opened with the skilled pairing of Jo Smith and Sophie Milne who were just getting settled, when Milne skied a speedy Stephanie Wylie delivery which was expertly caught by Lily McCure at full stretch.
Regular wickets continued to fall every few overs, with Wylie at one point on a hat-trick that wasn’t to be.
The introduction of Steph Balman to the crease for North, steadied their innings and provided some stroke play that tested South’s bowlers and fielders.
She made a blistering 36 off 25 deliveries before being brilliantly run out off some smart fielding from debutant Natalie Harris.
North made 71 with the bat but some wayward first-game bowling saw 38 extras added to their total, with 110 the victory target.
Lakisha Sloane and Abbey Johns kept a measured pace in the opening overs, sizing up the bowling and taking quick runs where possible.
Sloane also hit some nice boundaries, showing that she may be capable of some big totals this season.
She top scored for the day on 27 before being run-out.
Wylie came out swinging, but unfortunately was caught.
Heidi Drenkhahn played the steadying role in the middle order, having some important partnerships with McCure and Grace Faulder but unfortunately ran out of time to chase down the total as South was dismissed for 90, falling 19 runs short.
