Perry powers Vics to record chase with second straight ton

Ellyse Perry has hammered the fastest hundred of her one-day career to guide Victoria to the highest successful chase in Women’s National Cricket League history at Junction Oval.

Perry’s remarkable unbeaten 130 off 95 balls not only saw Victoria reel in New South Wales’ 7-283 but chase it down in just 38.5 overs with seven wickets in hand to secure a bonus point.

Her second century in three days came off just 83 balls, featuring 17 fours and four sixes, and was supported by a blazing 61 off 52 from Meg Lanning.

With Victoria needing to make history to seal their third win of the season, Sophie Reid (44 off 34) got off to a flier.

The opener was run out for a diamond duck on Thursday and was clearly eager to make up for lost time, smacking eight boundaries and only falling when Erin Burns held onto a speculator leaping catch.

Perry picked up where Reid left off; her first six scoring shots were boundaries, and she hit Lauren Smith for identical maximums over long on as she raced to fifty off 39 balls.

Lanning was dropped on zero by Luff and then again on 12 when Johnson put down a tough return chance, and after a circumspect start, got going with four consecutive boundaries off the NSW skipper in the 18th over.

Her half-century came off 45 balls, but just as the Australia skipper started to properly escalate, she picked out Burns in the deep, gone for a 52-ball 61.

Annabel Sutherland picked up where she left off as Victoria continued their march towards a record-breaking win and while she departed for 30 – a bittersweet moment for NSW with Hannah Darlington appearing to injure her left knee while jumping to take the catch – there was simply no stopping Perry.

The Aussie superstar had hit centuries in her last two matches against her former state, including her 147 on Thursday, and there was a sense of inevitability that her seventh WNCL century would arrive on Saturday.

But Perry didn’t just get to triple figures, she got there in 83 balls – the fastest List A century of her career – and after raising the bat reached further into her bag of tricks, even playing a ramp as she relentlessly powered Victoria towards victory.

Earlier, Georgia Wareham took her first wickets since returning from an ACL injury and Sophie Day picked up 3-36, as Litchfield and Johnson helped power NSW to 7-283.

Litchfield, elevated to open in place of Sophie Luff, was put down at slip in the powerplay and Victoria would rue the missed chance as she put on 92 for the first wicket with Tahlia Wilson.

Wareham finally got the breakthrough Victoria were searching in the 20th over when Wilson was trapped plumb lbw for 44, her first wicket since October 2021 following her turn from a ruptured ACL.

Sutherland then removed Anika Learoyd for 13 off 22, bringing Erin Burns to the middle.

Litchfield meanwhile worked through the gears, bringing up a half-century from 65 balls, and was the beneficiary of a close call on 72, when Sutherland claimed a low catch but with no third umpire to call upon, the on-field umpires gave the NSW opener the benefit of the doubt.

She added another 10 runs but her hopes of a second century for the season where then dashed by Wareham, who bowled the left-hander for 82, ending a 99-ball knock that featured 11 boundaries.

The departure of Litchfield triggered a mini-collapse of 3-24 as Sophie Luff (10) and Saskia Horley (3) departed cheaply, while Burns was bowled on 35 after reverse sweeping a delivery from Day back onto her stumps.

Several more dropped chances aided the visitors, before stand-in skipper Johnson finished with a flourish; NSW put on 57 runs from the final five overs, with Johnson saving her biggest for last, smacking 22 runs including three sixes off Kim Garth in the 50th over.

There was a worrying moment for Victoria when Tess Flintoff left the field having bowled one over due to a quad concern; the young allrounder put on ice for the rest of the match.   

Victoria next travel to Brisbane to play Queensland on January 17, while NSW will play South Australia in Adelaide on January 19.