Fire kickstart WNCL campaign with strong win in the west

2024-25 WNCL runners-up Queensland have begun their new campaign brightly, claiming a 64-run win over Western Australia at the WACA Ground.

The Fire's total of 236, forged off the back of strong contributions from their top three, with Charli Knott's 53 the top score, appeared short of competitive as WA cruised to 1-124 in the 23rd over. 

It was at that point though that Queensland's exciting young allrounder Sianna Ginger, who posted a List A hundred for Australia A in the winter, took the big wicket of WA skipper Chloe Piparo (63 from 70). 

Ginger then accounted for another WA big gun, Heather Graham, in her next over and suddenly the hosts were wobbling. Lucy Hamilton and Jess Jonassen both grabbed middle-order wickets as former Fire player Mikayla Hinkley (57) watched on, before becoming Jonassen's second wicket with the score at 6-168. 

Matters only grew worse from there for WA, with their last five wickets falling for just five runs to complete a spectacular collapse of 9-48.

Earlier, Fire openers Lauren Winfield-Hill (38) and Lucy Bourke (42) added 79 for the first wicket after the visitors were sent in for the day-night contest at the famous Perth venue. 

As well as Knott's half-century, Jonassen (24), SA recruit Annie O'Neil (29) and Mikayla Wrigley (32no) all made valuable contributions with the bat, while Amy Edgar (4-37) and the returning Graham (3-42) were effective for WA with the ball.