MACKAY (Queensland, Australia): Debutants South Australia have finished last in the table after suffering two massive defeats in their two outings in Round 3 of the women’s section on the third day of the 2026 edition of the National Indigenous Cricket Championships (NICC) here on Thursday. Victoria topped the table to directly enter the Finals Round 2.
They first lost to defending champions Western Australia by 96 runs, and later lost to Victoria by 90 runs. They now stand eliminated from the tournament as they are at the bottom of the table, having scored only one point from their 4 matches.
In the first match of the day, Western Australia blanked out South Australia by 96 runs. Batting first, Western Australia amassed 156 for 6 in 20 overs, thanks to Charlotte Toohey’s superlative 54 in 36 balls (6 x 4, 2 x 6). In reply, South Australia were bundled out for 60 in 15.1 overs. Except for Kimberley Kite (10 runs off 10 balls, 1 x 6), no other batter could reach double figures. Their score would have been much lower but for some wayward bowling by Western Australia bowlers, who gave away 16 extras (11 wide, 1 no ball, 4 leg bye). South Australia were in trouble right from the word go, losing their first two wickets with the score at 14, the third wicket at 15, and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Veronica Keen was in devastating form, 3 for 3 runs in 4 overs, of which 2 were maiden overs, achieving an economy rate of 0.75. Elsie Simpson scalped 2 for 5 in 3 overs, while Regina Deleeuw had a haul of 2 for 7 in 2.1 overs.
In another match, Victoria convincingly beat Queensland by 7 wickets. Batting first, Queensland scored 163 for 6. Dharmini Chauhan scored 45 off 31 balls (5 x 4, 2 x 6). In reply, Victoria reached 166 for 3 with only one ball to spare. Emma Manix-Jeeves shone with the bat, scoring a masterful 75 not out (48 balls, 10 x 4). Manix-Jeeves added 88 runs for the second wicket with opener Merinda Hale (40 off 41 balls, 5 x 4).
In the last game of the day, Victoria blanked out South Australia by 90 runs. Batting first, Victoria scored 175 for the loss of only 1 wicket, thanks to opener Ella Hayward’s unbeaten 71 off 59 balls (9 x 4) and errant bowling by South Australia, who gave away 34 extras, including 33 wide and 1 no ball. Emma Manix-Geeves scored 48 not out off 33 balls (7 x 4).
There will be no matches on Friday, which has been reserved for cultural activities.
The last match of Round 3 and the last of the round-robin stage will be played on Saturday, when New South Wales face Western Australia. The first round of the finals will also be held on Saturday, and the final match will be played on Sunday.
Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel and get instant updates
