‘Willows’ Win State Cricket Championship!

We would like to congratulate our GWSC ‘Intermediate Girls’ Cricket Team, who are better known as ‘The Willows’, on being crowned the 2024 ‘School Sport Victoria’ Intermediate Girls Cricket STATE CHAMPIONS!

Now, some of you may be asking why this State Title winning team are known as ‘The Willows’? Well, here are a few fun facts that highlight the sublime synergy between the slow growing soft wood species Salix alba (English Willow) and our all-conquering cricket crew……

1.) Willow trees are used to make high performance cricket bats, due to the ‘diffuse porous’ cell structure of their wood grains that give a bat its strength, density, and excellent impact resistance. This is similar to the 13 girls in our ‘Willows’ cricket team, who all have an ingrained team first mentality, which bonds them together strongly and allows them to rise above their opponents as they are able to absorb pressure during key moments of matches.

2.) Superior quality Willow cricket bats usually have six long wood grains across their face which are similar to the smashing shots that were hit over the boundary rope by our Willows players in the State Final!

3.) When you hear the crack of leather on a willow bat, it is similar to the sound of our Inter Girls cricketers when they high-five one another in celebration of a wicket!

4.) Willow trees are initially slow growing, but then develop more rapidly as they age to approximately 20 years when they are utilised for cricket bat manufacture. This is very similar to the way in which our Willows batting order settle into their innings initially and then build their team total quickly as they confidently bat through their allotted 20 overs.   

5.) The straight grains that run down the entire face of a quality willow cricket bat are reminiscent of the beautiful line and length that our ‘Willows’ bowling attack consistently deliver stump to stump, ball after ball.

As you can see, ‘The Willows’ thoroughly deserve their marvellous moniker….. Now that you are all aware of ‘The Willows’ origin story, let me give you a short and sharp re-cap of the State Semi-Final and State Final matches that they contested last Friday…..

After surviving an eight and a half hour round trip to Wangaratta the week before to contest the State Quarter Final against Galen Catholic College, ‘The Willows’ were very happy to hear that the ‘School Sport Victoria’ Intermediate Girls State Cricket Finals would be played at McDonell Reserve in Northcote. When we arrived at the ground, it was clear to see the distinct discrepancy between the neighbouring decks that the State Semi-Finals would be played on concurrently. It appeared that we had drawn the short straw, as ‘The Willows’ were scheduled to play the girls from Grovedale College (Geelong) on Field 2, which was clearly the rougher track. The outfield was patchy and undulating, only distinguishable from the playing surface closer to the pitch by the fielding restriction ring marked out with white rubber discs that were barely visible on the scorched turf. Whilst inspecting the pitch, it was noticed by all of our players that the synthetic wicket must have been dropped in by two different companies, as half of the track was dark bottle green and matted, whilst the non-striker’s end was a much lighter hue of lime and had individual synthetic grass blades that stood more upright. To our players credit, they took this in their stride and actually used it as motivation to progress through to the State Final on the well-manicured Field 1.

Our streak of kindly allowing the opposing captain to win the toss continued, as the Grovedale College skipper correctly picked ‘Tails’, which rarely fails, and elected to bat first. Our opening bowlers, Niharika and Anuki, were straight on the attack with an aggressive field supporting their attempts to take early wickets. They bowled with pace and precision to frustrate the opening bats, delivering a series of blistering balls that battered the blockhole. After surviving this early barrage, the Grovedale girls then decided to use the pace of our bowlers to their benefit, glancing a number of shorter deliveries down the leg side and to the boundary. After adjusting our field to put pause to this ploy, one of the Grovedale girls then really opened up her shoulders and started to find the boundary again. However, this was short lived as the opening partnership was broken by a fantastic catch, with the first wicket falling for 33. The following over, Minuli took the ball and began a sublime spell of express fast bowling, which had the Grovedale middle order and tail looking very nervous. She was ably supported by Deanna and Chanuki, who locked down the other end with some very clever change bowling tactics, resulting in a steady stream of wickets tumbling. Our fielders were on fire; with Aarushi, Kaashvi, Liyana, Oneja, Venuki and Yayuni all working tirelessly to cut off slashing shots bound for the rope, taking crisp catches, effecting run-outs and most importantly not adding any extras to our team total from overthrows….Gentle! During the middle overs of the match, our wicket keeper Sayu also stood up to take some classic catches and effect a number of run outs at the striker’s end. Sayu also came on for an inspired spell of wrist spin, taking an amazing wicket for only one run off her allotted four overs. Throughout their twenty overs in the field, ‘The Willows’ were able to take 8 wickets and restrict Grovedale to only 87 runs…..So, we had 88 runs to make to qualify for the State Final, which was to become a very auspicious pairing of digits as the day of cricket unfolded….

During the fifteen minute break between innings, ‘The Willows’ replenished their energy reserves and rehydrated with some ice-cold globe grapes, sweet watermelon slices, heavenly H-2-Whoa and an array of healthy, nutritious snacks that were prepared under guidance from our amazing College Nurse Julie-Ann. As the umpires unwrapped a brand-new Kookaburra Red King 142g cherry and handed it to the Grovedale captain, Anuki and Sayu strode towards the middle. From the first ball our openers were on top of the bowling attack, middling each stroke and running superbly between wickets to take 12 off the first over. The regular stream of singles and the odd double were interrupted by some powerful strokes that sent the ball screaming to the boundary. After surviving, no I should say thriving, the first five overs from five different bowlers, both Sayu and Anuki then went on the offensive. They stood and delivered, blasting their way to 88 runs in just under 12 overs, with an impressive run rate of just over 7.5 runs per over. ‘The Willows’ waiting in the wings then stormed the field to celebrate with their team mates as they had qualified for the State Final, which was to be played on Field 1 against the victors of the other State Semi Final, McKinnon Secondary College who defeated Catherine McAuley College by 107 runs after piling on 186 runs in the opening innings of their semi-final clash.

‘The Willows’ then had an hour to move camp over to Field 1 and also enjoy some lunch. We were held up for around half an hour by the crew from Catherine McAuley College, as they were almost glacial in their lack of haste to clear the opposing teams shed whilst they purchased official State Championship merchandise from the travelling ‘SSV’ hawkers and then took what seemed like a thousand team photos and selfies out on Field 1. After finally giving up their squatter’s rights on Team Shed 2, ‘The Willows were able to relocate up onto the top field which had an emerald outfield akin to a bowling green in Tasmania, which perfectly paired the meticulously manicured synthetic strands of interlaced fake buffalo turf that covered the centre wicket. Were we dreaming or were we on our way to cricket nirvana? Both, as our girls started to really believe that they could get the job done in the State Cricket Final!

To say it was an odd start to the State Final would be an understatement…..as the leadership group from McKinnon approached us to conduct the coin toss whilst we were still moving our team gear up onto the top oval. After politely asking them for a mere five minutes of time to allow us to finalise our relocation and catch our breath, the mob from McKinnon then approached the match officials directly whilst they were still enjoying their luncheon. Soon after, the umpires came across to inform us that the McKinnon captain had completed the coin toss, successfully winning it and electing to bat first. After a moment of disbelief, we inquired as to how a coin toss could occur with only one captain from one team, as tradition and cricket etiquette dictate that both team captains must be present for the coin toss, with the away team captain calling the toss after the home team captain had successfully tossed the coin into the air. Strange as it seems, the umpires appeared unaware of this most basic premise and declared that the McKinnon captain’s successful call of the toss would stand. When we asked if we could be provided with the same courtesy of conducting our own coin toss in the presence of the two match umpires whilst the McKinnon captain was in absentia, we were in no uncertain terms informed that this would not be occurring. Again, this unusual but key moment would provide our team with even more motivation leading into the State Championship match.

As the McKinnon coach squeezed in behind the scorer’s table, he confidently boasted that his side contained four premier division players and also the current Team Vic U15 Girls Cricket Captain. After politely replying, ‘Good for you’, the silence was deafening between the two scorer’s and only interrupted with calls of the name of the player facing the first ball of each over, the name of the bowler coming on and also the progressive score. It was not a surprise that the McKinnon top order oozed class and looked very comfortable when on strike. However, it was also apparent that they were not expecting or properly prepared for the patient, disciplined and ferocious bowling that was set to come their way from a very determined and driven ‘Willows’ attack. Our spearhead, Niharika, again took the new ball and thrived on the responsibility of piling on early pressure. She delivered 8 dot balls in her first three overs, frustrating the opening bats with her pace and precision. Anuki matched the efforts of Niharika whilst also attacking the top order, only allowing the McKinnon openers to register ones and twos for the first three overs of her clinical spell. In her final and fourth over, Anuki then made the crucial break through, sending one of the opener’s back to the sheds with a brilliant catch off her own bowling. Chanuki then came into the attack and continued the dot ball deliveries, further frustrating the McKinnon bats with fourteen more in her four overs. In a show of terrific team bowling and calculated field placement, the McKinnon batting order did not hit a boundary for the first nine overs. Kaashvi also provided a spark with her powerful bowling, taking the second wicket of the innings in her very first over.

Our fielders were again outstanding in the State Final, particularly throughout the first 6 overs of the innings during the McKinnon powerplay. Although we were only allowed to have two fielders outside of the restriction circle during this period of the match; Aarushi, Liyana, Oneja, Venuki and Yayuni ran hard, threw accurately and took every chance that came their way to restrict each and every McKinnon duo at the crease. Sayu was again amazing behind the stumps, cleanly taking all of the deliveries that got through to her gloves, whilst also preventing a number of looser balls from escaping down the leg side. She also continuously encouraged her team mates to support one another with a cacophony of chants and calls to pump one another up. Anuki took over the wicket keeping duties from Sayu in the second half of the first innings once more, allowing Sayu to mesmerise those at bat with her flight, drift and spin…. which is very impressive on a synthetic pitch! Sayu worked in tandem at times with Kaashvi, Deanna and finally Niharika to close out the innings with one further wicket via a close run out. This left McKinnon Secondary College on 3-140 after their allotted 20 overs, setting Glen Waverley Secondary College a target of 141 to win the State Championship…..a terrific team total requiring a tick over 7 runs an over to topple!

As ‘The Willows’ huddled together during the break between innings, it was pointed out to the team that they had just restricted the McKinnon batting line-up to its lowest total score in the past two years….It was clear to see the determination and belief on all of our girls faces, as they reflected on the hard work they had all put in across the year as their SSV ‘Division’ cricket competition began right back in Week 5 of Term 1. They were also motivated to win for one of their fellow team mates, Ananya, who unfortunately missed the State Final due to being overseas on holiday. Although absent, the girls’ felt Ananya was still with them and were very thankful for all of the help she had provided the team with to make it through to the State Final! After a couple of red frogs, a few small sips of Lucozade and some more ice-cold fruit, Anuki and Sayu padded up once more. Whilst striding to the wicket, you could tell they were both ready to go and all set for an impressive innings. With one final fist bump, they turned towards opposite ends of the pitch and readied themselves for the challenge.

The opening bowlers for McKinnon were both state representatives, which was apparent after they sent down a tirade of thunderbolts! However, both Anuki and Sayu were rapidly seeing them like beach balls as they both moved off the mark with a quick single each, then the boundaries began…. alongside the frustration expressed by the McKinnon bowlers as they watched many of their deliveries being sent to or over the boundary rope. When they moved their field, Anuki and Sayu simply changed the angle of their blade and finessed ball after ball into a gap for a quick single or call of two. As the innings progressed, Anuki kept the scorers busy with 11 fours and a super six. Sayu was more than happy to rotate the strike and allow Anuki to do more damage. Eventually, Anuki’s long day at the crease caught up with her and she signalled for water more and more frequently. Sayu was run out shortly after in a strange circumstance, calling for the single but caught well out of her crease with a direct hit. Minuli then came in and continued on with what Sayu had started. She pushed Anuki to rotate the strike, allowing our skipper to face more balls and hit the opposing bowlers to all parts of the ground. Minuli also chipped in with a quickfire 21 runs, which were crucial in our run chase. The resultant ‘Wagon Wheel’ on Channel 9’s WWOS would have been something to behold!     

With four overs remaining, ‘The Willows’ required 17 runs…..They managed to reduce this to only 10 runs required from the final 18 deliveries, with some stunning strokes in the 17th over. One of the quicks from McKinnon then came back on for her final over and bowled 5 dot balls, only giving away a single to complete a terrific spell in the 18th over. Now needing nine runs from 12 deliveries, ‘The Willows’ were helped with a two run wide and also a two run no ball to start the penultimate over. After this, they ran well between their wickets to record two runs and then a single. Sitting on 139 runs, with ten balls to spare, Anuki drove an over-pitched ball down the ground and was able to comfortably run through for two to secure the 2024 ‘SSV’ State Cricket Championship! All of ‘The Willows’ players again stormed the ground and celebrated with Minuli and Anuki! Strangely enough, Anuki’s last two runs took her to a total of 88…..the very same two digits that separated the two teams in our State Semi-Final………..Howzzaaat for a cricketing coincidence? ‘The Willows’ had done it and won it, hitting 141 runs with the loss of only one wicket and nine balls to spare…..

During the presentation ceremony, our captain Anuki spoke wonderfully well whilst thanking the opposition players and coaches, the umpires and the School Sport Victoria staff who helped organise the state-wide cricket competition. Anuki then heaped praise onto ‘The Willows’ for their collective team effort, drive, determination and never give-up attitude which enabled them to take out the title. She also thanked the staff coaches of ‘The Willows’, Mr Mark Robinson and Mr Andrew Bottomer, who have been supervising and running cricket training sessions with this team throughout Terms 1, 3 & 4 this year. They also took turns helping to umpire and score, whilst providing our State Championship winning cricket team with various motivational, nutritional and hydration support throughout our four rounds of matches.

Congratulations again to all thirteen members of our GWSC ‘Willows’ cricket team, you all played some absolutely fantastic cricket on your way to winning the 2024 ‘School Sport Victoria’ Inter Girls State Cricket Championship. More importantly, you all played in the correct spirit of the game representing yourselves, your families and our College Community with great pride and distinction. Our entire #GWSCommunity are so excited for you all and very proud of you all, our latest State Champions!

#Willows4TheWin!

#Believe!