The PNG Lewas now has three wins from six matches in the Toyota Australia Country Cricket Championships women’s tournament in Australia, after a massive 40-run bounce-back rematch win over Southern Australia, with promising young Lewas talents stepping up in the absence of big names.
Going into this rematch against the Southern Australian Women after a Round 4 loss in a One Day Innings (ODI) match, the teams battled this time in the T20 format.
The Lewas went into the game without their captain and main firepower Brenda Tau, as well as star all-rounder Henao Jane Thomas, following their Round 5 loss to Western Australia by 17 runs.
After winning the toss, the Lewas decided to bat first, which gave them the strong start they needed, with Hollan Doriga and Konio Oala taking the Lewas to a flying start, pushing the score past 50 runs early.
At the crease, Konio Oala’s solo performance with the bat was outstanding as she smashed 49 runs off just 30 balls, followed by Sibona Jimmy with 23 runs from 19 balls and Hollan Doriga with 21 runs from 23 balls. This saw the Lewas set a total of 133 runs for 7 wickets from 20 overs.
When taking the field, the PNG Lewas bowlers and fielders were in sync, restricting the Southern Australia Country Women as runs slowed and wickets continued to fall.
With the ball, tournament debutant Gena Tom picked up two wickets, including dismissing SA top batter Makenzie Holy for a golden duck.
Sibona Jimmy followed with one wicket from four overs, conceding just 17 runs, while Hollan Doriga also claimed one wicket from four overs for 17 runs.
This performance limited Southern Australia to 93 runs for 7 wickets from their 20 overs.
This strong all-round performance from both the batters and bowlers saw the Lewas secure a massive victory over the Southern Australian Country Women, bouncing back from two straight losses- Round 4’s ODI loss (PNG 10/124, SA 7/125) and the Round 5 T20 loss to Western Australian Country Women (PNG 7/90, WA 8/107).
The question now is whether the Lewas can keep this bounce-back rematch heat alive as they take on the Western Australian Country Women in the final round of the Toyota Australia Country Cricket Championships.
