1. Rachel Trenaman – Tasmania
Matches: 11 | Runs: 648 | Ave: 81.00 | SR: 84.92 | 100s: 2 | 50s: 3 | HS: 139no
It was a dominant breakout season for Trenaman, who topped the run-scorers list (648 runs) with the fourth-most prolific WNCL season of all time.
The Tassie opener batted 11 times, passing 50 on five occasions and was dismissed under 30 only twice. Both of her centuries came after Christmas; first a magnificent 139no against Western Australia and then six days later she hit 103 against ACT.
Although Tasmania only won three matches for the season, Trenaman averaged 201 in those victories, highlighting her importance to the Tigers’ success. During the second of those, against Victoria at St Kilda, Trenman scored an unbeaten 95 as part of her record 265-run partnership with Lizelle Lee, the fourth highest in the competition’s history and the best for Tasmania.
2. Georgia Redmayne – Queensland (wk)
M: 11 | Runs: 453 | Ave: 50.33 | SR: 87.28 | 100s: 3 | 50s: 1 | HS: 125no | Ct: 10 | St: 6
It was a typical season for Redmayne who seemed to fly under the radar despite producing several large scores. Redmayne’s 453 runs for the regular season placed her seventh among the top batters and hit hundreds against ACT (105no), Tasmania (125no) and NSW (100).
Redmayne will have a chance in the final against NSW to become the first player to hit four centuries in a single WNCL campaign.
With the gloves, she was as efficient as ever and pulled off a string of impressive stumpings off spinners Grace Parsons and Charli Knott, but also off medium pacer Sianna Ginger.
3. Katie Mack – New South Wales
M: 12 | Runs: 632 | Ave: 63.20 | SR: 88.39 | 50s: 6 | HS: 99
The recently-crowned WNCL Player of the Season, Mack received the accolade in her first season back with her native state that produced 632 runs.
With the likes of Australian representatives Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry coming in and out of the NSW side, Mack found herself shuffling between opening, first drop and No.4, but it didn’t seem to impact her output.
Remarkably, Mack went without a century in her 12 innings, instead finding herself dismissed in the 90s three times, a somewhat unwanted WNCL record. However those scores, 96 against WA, 95 against Queensland and 99 against Tasmania, were all crucial contributions in Breakers victories.
4. Courtney Webb – South Australia
M: 12 | Runs: 465 | Ave: 46.50 | SR: 91.53 | 100s: 1 | 50s: 5 | HS: 123no
Webb’s season began in fine style with a match-winning 123 not out in South Australia’s win over Tasmania in Adelaide. Although it was Webb’s only ton for the campaign, she passed 50 on another five occasions. No opposition was safe from Webb as the right-hander finished the season with a 50+ score against every state.
It’s the third time Webb has scored more than 450 runs in a season (465), and across the past four seasons (since 2022-23) no batter has more WNCL runs than Webb’s 2,023. Always a livewire in the field, Webb took several excellent catches during the season, most notably her diving effort to remove Laura Harris in Brisbane.
5. Annie Wikman – ACT
M: 11 | Runs: 540 | Ave: 60.00 | SR: 88.66 | 100s: 1 | 50s: 5 | HS: 142no
A breakout season for 24-year-old Wikman, whose 540 runs landed her in fourth spot on the run-getters’ list. Her season included her maiden WNCL hundred, a superb 142no against Victoria in Canberra which included 18 boundaries. That followed her unbeaten 62 two days earlier, meaning she hit the Victorians for 204 runs without being dismissed.
Central to the Meteors’ rise up the ladder, Wikman was a consistent contributor and also peeled off scores against Queensland (59), Tasmania (70), South Australia (69) and Western Australia (78). Unfortunately the right-hander missed the final match of the season, robbing her of a chance to pass the 600-run mark for the season.
6. Tess Flintoff – Victoria
M: 10 | Runs: 347 | Bat ave: 43.37 | 100s: 1 | 50s: 1 | HS: 101 | Wkts: 9 | Bowl ave: 39.55
Despite missing the first two games with a pre-season injury, Flintoff finished as Victoria’s most prolific run-scorer and second among their wicket takers.
Playing her second game of the season, the allrounder gave a fine display of the talent that had earned her a national contract, picking up two Tasmanian wickets at an economy of 2.57 and chipping in with a 46 off 47, the sole score of note in the Victorian innings.
Flintoff’s best week of the competition came after Christmas with a century and a 72no against Western Australia, although with hardly any support from the other end, it wasn’t enough to take her despondent side over the line.
7. Jemma Barsby – South Australia
M: 12 | Runs: 328 | Bat ave: 41.00 | 50s: 1 | HS: 85 | Wkts: 17 | Bowl ave: 29.00
South Australia’s captain Barsby had another fine season with bat and ball, finishing with 328 runs at 41 and 17 wickets at 29.
On three occasions Barbsy was huge in successful SA run chases, such as her 42no against Queensland, her 33 against Victoria and her 40 against the previous-unbeaten NSW.
On the bowling front she took a trio of three-wicket hauls, with the best being 3-27 against Victoria, and finished equal seventh for most wickets.
8.Amanda-Jade Wellington – South Australia
M: 12 | Wkts: 20 | Ave: 26.30 | SR: 34.15 | Econ: 4.62 | 5WI: 1 | BBI: 5-42
A season to remember for Wellington, who went past Lisa Sthelaker (166 wickets) in top spot on the all-time WNCL wicket-taker’s list.
The season also featured Wellington’s second five-wicket haul in the competition when she spun out Queensland with 5-42 in Brisbane. The 28-year-old played all 12 matches and took at least one wicket in every match, finishing with 20 scalps. Only NSW’s Lauren Cheatle (26) took more.
While she had a relatively quite season with the bat, her late-innings heroics against the previously undefeated NSW were instrumental in SA’s upset victory over the Breakers.
9. Zoe Cooke – ACT
M: 12 | Wkts: 20 | Ave: 23.35 | SR: 26.30 | Econ: 5.32 | 4WI: 2 | BBI: 4-44
The vastly experienced quick was not only the second best among the bowlers across the competition but also made some crucial contributions to the Meteors’ score in the lower middle order.
More importantly, she played a key role for ACT in four out of their five wins in what was their best season in three years.
Her best spell with the ball – 4-44 – came in a five-wicket win over Tasmania and it accounted for the wickets of the competition’s leading run-scorer Rachel Trenaman and Tigers’ captain Elyse Villani.
Two days later, Cooke blasted an 83 off 78, the top score in the Meteors’ 10-run win over the same opposition.
10. Maitlan Brown – New South Wales
M: 12 | Wkts: 19 | Ave: 27.26 | SR: 31.68 | Econ: 5.16 | 4WI: 1 | BBI: 4-30
One half of the experienced and potent NSW new-ball pairing, Brown was as effective in her spells in the middle overs as she was in the powerplay.
She also played vital cameos for the side in the middle order, accumulating a handy 249 runs in 10 innings, with a highest of 46no.
Brown was an important piece of the puzzle for the all-dominant Breakers side with her all-round contributions, often chipping in with runs and wickets at crucial junctures.
11. Lauren Cheatle – New South Wales (c)
M: 12 | Wkts: 26 | Ave: 15.73 | SR: 24.15 | Econ: 3.90 | 4WI: 1 | BBI: 4-32
The Breakers captain Cheatle has had a tremendous year, with her 26 wickets making her easily the best in the WNCL.
She took multiple wickets in 10 of her 12 matches and similar to men’s left-armer Mitch Starc, Cheatle led the competition for first-over wickets (4).
In her first season in charge of NSW, Cheatle has taken naturally to the role and her cricket has improved as well.
12th. Sianna Ginger – Queensland
M: 12 | Wkts: 19 | Ave: 24.53 | SR: 32.00 | Econ: 4.60 | 4WI: 1 | BBI: 4-35
A great season for the ball for Queensland’s young gun Ginger who was given new-ball duties and didn’t disappoint. She went wicketless only once for the entire season, with a best of 4-35 against South Australia.
WNCL Final
21 March: NSW v Queensland, Cricket Central, 10am AEDT
