WNCL: Western Australia finish season with upset win over South Australia but can’t dodge wooden spoon

Western Australia has finished their Women’s National Cricket League season with a rare win, but it wasn’t enough to pull them off the bottom of the ladder. WA scored 9-254 batting first against finalists South Australia at the WACA Ground on Friday and held on to win a thriller by six runs. But they will finish with this season’s wooden spoon, because they didn’t claim the bonus-point victory required to draw level on points with second-last-placed ACT. The Meteors lost to New South Wales for a second time in three days in Sydney on Friday, which would have opened the door for WA. They instead finish one point shy. Opener Maddy Darke has finished the season in scorching form, but again fell short of a century when she was dismissed for 86 top-edging an attempted sweep shot off Jemma Barsby. Rejuvenated WA No.3 Bhavi Devchand made 81 off 101 balls — an innings that included 10 boundaries — in her best score since returning to the State. They struggled to string middle-order partnerships together and tailender Lilly Mills was the next highest-scorer with an unbeaten 22. Barbsy was South Australia’s best batter in the chase. She made an unbeaten 54, but ran out of partners late in the innings. Bridget Patterson made 43 and Madeline Penna 32. Reigning Zoe Goss medallist Amy Edgar took 4-42 from her 10 overs, while English quick Emily Arlott opened the bowling but was used for just four overs and fellow seamer Maddie White just one in a pace-off attack. South Australia are still destined for the final and will take on Queensland. Taneale Peschel missed the clash for WA as part of a load management program after only recently recovering from her latest quad injury.