Orange’s Dimity Parton, Wellington’s Sara Darney and Lithgow’s Roxsanne Van Veen helped their NSW side to an emphatic victory in the National Indigenous Cricket Championship decider over Queensland on Monday, also completing the Blues’ stunning undefeated run through the tournament.
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Simply, NSW was unstoppable at Alice Springs.
No side came close to downing the Blues through the preliminary stage – the smallest win they had was by seven wickets – and the central west trio’s outfit shifted up another gear in the finals as well.
NSW clobbered Western Australia by nine wickets in Sunday’s semi-final before rinsing Queensland by the same margin in the decider, the latter win was thanks to Darney and Van Veen’s efforts at the top of the order too.
Chasing the maroons’ 6-135 – which was easily the biggest score any side scored against the Blues – Darney and Van Veen went ballistic in the chase, taking care of 120 at much, much better than a run-a-ball.
Van Veen was eventually dismissed for a 32-ball 63 while Darney finished unbeaten on 55, her knocking coming from just 37 balls.
Hannah Darlington finished 13 not out at the other end, from just eight deliveries, as NSW won with nine wickets in the bank and seven overs left too.
It was one of several huge efforts from Darney, who ended the tournament as NSW’s leading run-scorer with 220 at an average of 73.33.
Van Veen saved her best performance for the big stage, she’d only produced 16 runs in her other two digs.
While Parton, who plays her club cricket for Orange City, wasn’t needed to bat or bowl in the decider, she did a job in her side’s preliminary stage when called upon, taking 1-16 from five overs overall.