Photo Credit: Cricket South Africa
A clinical performance by the Six Gun Grill SWD Women’s team against Free State in a qualifying fixture between the Pool Winners of Pool A (SWD) and Pool B (Free State) that was played at the Imperial Wanderers Stadium on Saturday has allowed the SWD ladies to achieve their ambitions as they gained promotion to the Women Division 1 (Top 6) next season.
In what is a great achievement for women’s cricket in the province SWD defeated Free State by 5 wickets and set a challenge for their male colleagues in their quest for promotion to the top echelon of South African cricket. The SWD ladies – who lost in the corresponding fixture against Easterns last season – also concluded their season with a 100% winning ratio after they were victorious in all their matches.
Haroline Rhodes, the SWD captain, has opted to field after winning to toss and they restricted the ladies from Bloemfontein to 138/9 (21.2 overs). Yolandi Potgieter (46; 78 balls; 7×4) anchored the Free State innings as the rest of the batters were undone by a great match-winning bowling spell by Vuyo Bonya who ripped through the Free State batting line-up with figures of 5/14 (in 3.2 overs) some qualify bowling by Miceala Andrews (1/25 in 6 overs), Jané Winster (2/27 in 7 overs) and Rhodes (2/53 in 10 overs).
The SWD run chase was built around a solid opening stand of 79 between Mochelle May (52; 85 balls; 1×6; 6×4) and San-Mari Strydom (24; 97 balls; 2×4). Miceala Andrews with a valuable innings of 31* (from 38 balls; 4×4) was instrumental in taking the SWD ladies over the line in the 41st over – 141/5 – for a 5-wicket victory. For Free State Miane Smit bagged 2/37.
SWD President, Mr Rudy Claassen, has congratulated the SWD Women’s team on their achievement; “On behalf of the cricket fraternity I would like to congratulate the SWD Women’s team on their achievements and would like to wish them all the best in the top league, he concluded.
