Kinross’ Phoebe Litchfield is on the cusp of leading her Cricket Australia XI to the Under-18 National Championship’s one-day final, inspiring the green and golds’ effort to bounce back from a somewhat underwhelming Twenty20 finish.
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With three wins and three losses in the shortest format Litchfield’s side was forced to play-off in the minor finals, finishing with a win over the Northern Territory and surging into one-day contention with back-to-back, 50-over victories after that.
The first came over Victoria Metro on Sunday, the Cricket Australia XI bowling the Vics out for 123 after posting 152 themselves. Litchfield only made 11 in that game, but took four catches despite not having the gloves.
She hit form in her side’s second one-day win on Monday though, smashing an unbeaten 56 from just 45 balls as the Aussies chased South Australia’s 133 with six wickets and 26 overs in hand.
The pair of victories leaves them second on the standings with one game remaining, that clash is on Wednesday against the ninth-placed Victoria Country.
That half-ton was her second of the championship too, she smashed 50 against Victoria Metro in a T20.
Incredibly, despite being just 15 and batting two times less than most of her counterparts, she’s fifth on the tournament’s overall run-scorer’s list and sits on top of the average stakes, with 221 at 36.83.
That suggests she’s firmly in the frame for the Australian under-19 side, the national championships are part of the selection process.
Litchfield’s Cricket Australia XI takes on Victoria Country from 10am on Wednesday at Ballarat’s Northern Oval.
The finals will all be played on Thursday.
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Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
