Fire lock in final spot with big win over WA

Queensland have surged into the WNCL final off the back of a commanding 182-run win (DLS method) over Western Australia at Allan Border Field in Brisbane.

The Fire will head to Hobart for the decider against Tasmania on February 24 after opener Georgia Voll's fluent 117 anchored a superb batting effort of 5-304 from 45 overs, despite star pair Georgia Redmayne and Grace Harris both making first-ball ducks.

After the visitors won the toss, Redmayne was run-out from the very first ball of the match when Voll declined her partner's call for a single. It seemed a significant blow at the time but beyond the opening wicket-maiden, the Fire barely skipped a beat as Voll then teamed up with England rep Lauren Winfield-Hill (57) for an excellent 151-run second-wicket stand.

Right-handers Voll and Winfield-Hill went tit for tat through most of their partnership before the former upped the ante, though her acceleration was nothing compared to the show put on by Laura Harris, who was elevated to number four and entered the action in the 30th over.

Western Australia were left to rue a couple of simple dropped chances in the first dozen balls faced by the big-hitting Queenslander, and the fielding side's efforts remained sloppy through the back half of the innings.

Harris meanwhile unleashed her full arsenal of stroke-play, hitting sixes from cover to long-on, and even looping switch hits through a vacant third boundary as she raced to a 22-ball half-century.

It was just the sort of injection the innings needed. At the height of the carnage, one Zoe Britcliffe over was sent for 21, while the 50-run stand arrived from just 28 deliveries.

With Voll on 97, she pushed to square leg and called Harris through for a risky single, but a mix-up ensued and the result was a second disastrous run-out. Still, the damage had largely been done as Harris exited for an outrageous 64 from 28 balls.

In the following over, her sister popped up a drive from Lily Mills straight to Amy Edgar at extra cover, who held the chance comfortably.

The exits of the Harris sisters tempered proceedings for a while and so too did a 90-minute rain delay, but either side of that, Charli Knott produced the sort of cameo for which she has become renowned with the Brisbane Heat, collecting an unbeaten 34 from 25 balls to push the Fire to an intimidating total.

With 10 overs taken out of the contest, the DLS calculation left WA needing 319 from their 45 overs and they were in strife almost from the outset, when Maddy Darke holed out for one off Voll in the second over.

Wickets fell consistently thereafter as the pressure of a monster run chase told for a WA line-up missing Australia star Beth Mooney. Only opener Chloe Piparo passed 20 while Queensland put in a clinical performance in the field, highlighted by an excellent direct hit run-out from Grace Harris.

Captain Redmayne's day improved late on when she grabbed two stumpings in three balls from young leg-spinner Grace Parsons, and the match then hurried to its close, WA finishing 9-136, with Lily Mills not batting due to a hamstring injury.

The two sides will contest what will now be a dead rubber at the same venue on Saturday, in which the Fire look set to welcome back star spinning allrounder Jess Jonassen, who was overlooked for Test duties.

Jonassen and the Harris sisters will be unavailable for the WNCL final due to its overlap with the beginning of the Women's Premier League in India. Fire head coach Ashley Noffke, who has a coaching role with the UP Warriorz, will remain with Queensland for the final.

WNCL 2023-24 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Total points PTS
1 Tasmanian Tigers Women TAS	12	9	2	0	1	0.98	0	5	43
2 Queensland Fire QLD	12	8	3	0	1	1.224	0	7	41
3 Victoria Women VIC	12	7	5	0	0	0.013	0	4	32
4 Western Australia Women WA	12	6	6	0	0	-0.113	0	4	28
5 NSW Women NSW	12	6	6	0	0	-0.105	0	2	26
6 South Australia Women SA	12	4	8	0	0	-0.063	0	3	19
7 ACT Meteors ACT	12	1	11	0	0	-2.006	0	0	4

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

PTS: Total points