South Australia overcome undefeated NSW to stay in race

South Australia have kept their WNCL hopes alive and kicking after registering a thrilling three-wicket win over table-toppers New South Wales at the Adelaide Oval.

The home side chased down the 260 runs with three balls to spare to hand the NSW Breakers their first defeat of the season. Helping their cause were Victoria, who fought long enough to prevent second-placed Queensland from taking a batting bonus, which would have given them a point's lead over South Australia with a game each to come for both sides.

WNCL 2025-26 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 NSW Women NSW	11	10	1	0	0	1.024	0	4	44
2 Queensland Fire QLD	11	7	4	0	0	0.159	0	3	31
3 South Australia Women SA	11	7	3	0	1	-0.117	0	1	31
4 Western Australia Women WA	10	6	4	0	0	0.039	0	2	26
5 ACT Meteors ACT	10	4	5	0	1	-0.114	0	1	19
6 Tasmanian Tigers Women TAS	12	3	9	0	0	0.002	0	3	15
7 Victoria Women VIC	11	0	11	0	0	-1.028	1	0	-1

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

Despite another half-century from Courtney Webb and scores in the forties from Bridget Patterson and captain Jemma Barsby, the game was on the knife's edge with 25 needed off 20 and three wickets in hand.

But Amanda-Jade Wellington played a smart cameo (28no off 22) before youngster Eleanor Larosa hit a boundary and sealed the game in the final over.

The Breakers had nothing to play for other than some match practice for next week's final, which they are guaranteed to host after cementing their place at the top of the ladder, and opted to have a hit first.

Katie Mack had another productive outing in sky blue, with the opener scoring 69 off 88 after enduring a difficult powerplay, where her side lost two wickets for 33 runs.

Fellow opener Tahlia Wilson, on the other hand, could not make it a memorable first outing after her maiden call-up to the Australian ODI side for the upcoming tour of the West Indies.

After the Breakers were left 3-64 at the end of the 18th over, Mack found support in English import Georgia Adams. The duo put up 83 runs together before Mack was caught at fine leg in an attempt to sweep Barsby (1-45) in the 35th over.

Adams then worked with Maitlan Brown (46no off 49) to keep the scoreboard moving, in another big, 73-run partnership for NSW.

Adams' fine knock – packed with 12 boundaries – came to an end in an unfortunate manner on 90 off 95 when she was run out as Brown's shot straight down the wicket deflected off bowler Wellington's hand and caught her short at the non-striker's end.

Nineteen-year-old allrounder Lucy Finn, who had declared hitting sixes as her favourite part of the game after her debut round, smashed two of those in consecutive deliveries to take the Breakers past 250.

NSW captain Lauren Cheatle (1-45) then landed an early blow to South Australia's chase, removing Ellie Johnston for 5 in the third over courtesy of a sharp diving catch by Frankie Nicklin at cover.

A 70-run stand between South Australia's Melbourne Renegades duo Emma de Broughe and Courtney Webb pulled things back on the track.

NSW again applied the brakes after Sarah Coyte bowled de Broughe (36 off 43) in the 14th over and the pressure resulted in three more quick wickets.

Despite looking solid in her run-a-ball 59, Webb again couldn't stick around for a big knock when she hit Nicklin (2-23) to Cheatle at long-on. She now has four scores in the fifties and one forty in the last eight innings in the competition, along with a 61 in the previous game.

Webb's dismissal brought together the experienced pair of Patterson and Barsby and despite a jittery start, the two got down to doing what they needed to do – stick around and keep chipping through the required runs.

They kept the asking rate in check and had put South Australia on top before deciding to up the scoring.

Patterson skied one in an attempt to come down to Adams in 42nd over on 40, but fell safe on the occasion. But she wasn't as lucky when she then shuffled across to hit her over the 'keeper in her next over, only to be caught by Sam Bates at fine leg, departing on 42 off 49.

Earlier in the over, Barsby had pulled out a switch hit to land a 100m six to ease the climbing required rate.

The chase had another twist when Barsby and Wellington tried to sneak a quick two, needing 26 off 21, but the former was caught short on the second run. The throw came in from Lauren Cheatle from the straight boundary and bowler Coyte took out the stumps.

Both sides had a nervous moment as ground umpire Peter George referred the decision to the third umpire, who adjudged the stumps were taken down by the ball and not Coyte's empty hands.

Wellington, undeterred, hit a boundary the next ball and added six more runs from the next over with Larosa, before hitting Cheatle for a huge six in a nine-run penultimate over.

With five needed, any scares of Coyte pulling off another last-over miracle with the ball like she had in the title-decider against the same side a few years ago, albeit in Tasmanian colours, was averted when Larosa hit her to the boundary on the second delivery.

The job, however, is not finished for South Australia as they trail Queensland on net run rate and would require a big victory against NSW again on Saturday, if Fire were to win as well.

They also face a threat from Western Australia, who have two games to come against the ACT Meteors and trail SA and Queensland by five points.

WNCL 2025-26 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 NSW Women NSW	11	10	1	0	0	1.024	0	4	44
2 Queensland Fire QLD	11	7	4	0	0	0.159	0	3	31
3 South Australia Women SA	11	7	3	0	1	-0.117	0	1	31
4 Western Australia Women WA	10	6	4	0	0	0.039	0	2	26
5 ACT Meteors ACT	10	4	5	0	1	-0.114	0	1	19
6 Tasmanian Tigers Women TAS	12	3	9	0	0	0.002	0	3	15
7 Victoria Women VIC	11	0	11	0	0	-1.028	1	0	-1

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