Women's Team 2024/25 - Four out of Five!

OUR GIRLS WIN FOUR OUT OF FIVE!


            

Above: Our all-conquering team: L-R. Back - coach Darren Nagle, Sandra Verschoor, Fiona Bathie, Abby Pruijmboom, Siobhan Donohoe, Katherine Baker and electronic scorer David Baker. Front - Sarah Fenn, Maddie Dutton Johnson, Yasmin King, Sarah Pamment and Mackayla Coote.

A funny season for the Moonee Valley women’s team. We started off in the top grade – the Premier Division Geoff Law Shield. We won a home game, lost an away game by a couple of runs after a howler umpire interpretation of a no-ball, then were belted in our third game.

The NWMCA then did a regrade – and although we had been competitive, we dropped down – two grades! That was despite us making the finals in Division 1 the previous season.

So here we were in Division 3, and a very strong team with some inclusions to strengthen us from last season. We also had our player numbers up, so most weeks played with a full complement.

Under the expert coaching of Darren “Spud” Nagle and a new captain in Sarah Fenn, we didn’t lose another game all season.

Moonee Valley easily accounted for Keilor Park/Brunswick in the semi final, 3/129cc to their 3/69cc.

We had beaten them easily at the start of the season when we were both graded in Premier Division, than accounted for them again in Round 12.

We had qualified for a home game for the March 9 Grand Final, against Pascoe Vale Hadfield. They were another team we had met when we were both in Premier Division, losing after the umpiring error.

We had a draw against PVH in Round 5 when the game was washed out after 10 overs with us in full control. We met them again in Round 10, when we bested them by 97 runs after not losing a wicket for the innings.

But the Grand Final was going to be another matter, as PVH had been able to strengthen their side with a couple of players from their higher grade team.

PVH won the toss and sent us in to bat.

Our girls were on the scoreboard quickly, with opening bats Fiona Bathie and Yasmin King scoring freely off the opening bowlers before Fiona was caught near the boundary by one of the higher-grade players with the score on 17.

We kept the run rate ticking over, and were 1/39 after five overs, 1/77 after 10 and 1/120 off 15. Sandra Verschoor was her usual busy self when she came in at No. 3 and put on a quick 10 before retiring.

Abby Pruijmboom hit an unbeaten six, Katherine Baker 11, Mackayla Coote 13, Sarah Fenn 10 and Sarah Pamment a hard-hitting 18.

Yasmin came back in for the last few overs and finished on 26 not out - her same score from the semi final - and we ended our innings on 2/148, after losing our only other wicket on 128.

Pascoe Vale Hadfield also started brightly, and we were concerned that after their best bat retired she would come back in early and up the ante with the run rate.

We bowled tightly to restrict them, and when their best bat did come back in our bowlers doubled down with their line and length. Although she scored an unbeaten 47, her innings when she came back in consisted of singles - not enough to push on towards our total. She hit five 4s in the first part of her innings, but could only find the boundary twice after coming back in.

We held them to 2/102, to continue our remarkable run in the women's game.

There might have been the odd anxious moment, but the Moonee Valley Women's team in the end won its fourth premiership in five seasons.

Yasmin King has played in all four of the Premierships. Katherine Baker, captain Sarah Fenn and Sandra Verschoor have played in three - and Darren "Spud" Nagle has coached three of them.