Breakers claim bonus point win in comfortable chase

The NSW Breakers have cruised to a bonus point win over Western Australia at North Sydney Oval, cementing their place at the top of the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) ladder.

Having restricted WA to 195, NSW opener Tahlia Wilson and number three Rachel Trenaman accounted for the majority of the runs, notching up a 149-run partnership in the eight-wicket win.

Trenaman played a superb innings, hitting eight boundaries and a six to finish unbeaten on 90, while Wilson made 67.

The Breakers opted to bowl first after winning the toss and it paid immediate dividends, with Maitlan Brown bowling both WA openers inside the first four overs.

Things went from bad to worse for WA when Stella Campbell, who had been wayward with a plethora of leg-side wides early, picked up her first wicket on the back of a sharp catch from Anika Learoyd at point.

Maia Bouchier fell soon after, as WA slumped to 4-42 in the 12^th over, desperate for a partnership to stem the flow of wickets.

They would get their wish through Piepa Cleary and Amy Edgar, who shared in a crucial 79-run partnership before Jade Allen held onto a nice return catch offered by Cleary (36).

Erin Burns then chipped in with two quick wickets, finishing a superb spell that yielded her 2-18 and put her side in a strong position with WA 7-138 with eleven overs remaining.

Edgar was still at the crease however and lifted her tempo as the lower order joined her, striking some lusty blows on her way to an unbeaten 85.

It saw WA finish 9-195 after their 50 overs, with NSW skipper Sammy-Jo Johnson the pick of the bowlers with 3-39.

Georgia Wyllie had Claire Moore strangled down the leg side for a duck to begin WA's defence positively, however that only brought Trenaman to the crease.

She and Wilson looked comfortable from the moment they began their partnership, turning over the strike with ease and regularly finding the boundary.

Trenaman especially played some beautiful shots through the off side, as the required run rate consistently decreased.

Both batters brought up their half-century just after NSW's total passed 100, with the chance of a bonus point victory appearing increasingly likely.

Wilson was out for a well-compiled 67, however Phoebe Litchfield (16 not out) continued the scoring as the Breakers secured the win with 10.1 overs to spare, narrowly securing the bonus point.

Usually an opener, Trenaman said she enjoyed dropping down to number three and was simply glad to be back playing for her state again after a long stint on the sidelines.

"It was nice to work my way in and then be able to knock it around once the four players were out (of the inner circle) and form a good partnership with Tahlia (Wilson)," she said.

"I like opening because you go out and know what your role is straight away, but I guess with (number) three you can go in first ball, or you could go in when your number 1-200.

"I liked it, it's a bit of a challenge that you don’t know when you're going to bat but it was nice to get out there today … and it's nice to be finally out here again."