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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Megan Maurice

Sportwatch: Jets upset Western United, Heat put on a clinic against Thunder - as it happened

Brisbane Heat
The Brisbane Heat put on a clinic on how to defend a small total at Drummoyne Oval tonight with a stifling bowling performance against the Sydney Thunder. Photograph: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

Final thoughts

Another big night of sport, a big upset in the A-League and a dominant performance from the defending premiers in the WBBL capped off a fascinating night of sport. Come back tomorrow for plenty of W-League and even more A-League and WBBL as Scott Heinrich takes you through a huge Sunday Sportwatch.

Brisbane Heat 128-8 beat Sydney Thunder 96

The Thunder looked to be on top after the Heat’s innings, as they took regular wickets and restricted the Queenslanders to a small total where no one was able to bring up a big total. But after the break the Heat went about putting on an absolute clinic in defending a small total and showed why they are the defending premiers. Jess Jonassen was at her damaging best, taking 4-13 in a performance that stifled first and foremost and took wickets when the chance was there. It was a brilliantly opportunistic display and a well deserved victory. New Zealander Amelia Kerr was awarded player of the match, taking 1-16 and an important 21 not out from 16 balls.

“We thought he wicket was a little bit tough and the outfield was slow, so to get to 128, we knew we could defend it from there,” she said after the match.

WBBL: Rene Farrell charges down the wicket and tries to smash one back over Jonassen’s head, but it goes comfortably to Grace Harris for a catch instead. You can’t blame Farrell for giving it a shot, there’s no point in the Thunder being conservative from here. Thunder are 81-7 and need 48 runs off 17 balls.

Meanwhile the Thunder fans have been enjoying the carnival atmosphere, even though their team have been having a tough time on the field tonight.

WBBL: Young Phoebe Litchfield hit one too many high balls for the Thunder and Mikayla Hinkley takes the catch off the bowling of Johnson. And then in the very next over, Delissa Kimmince gets Nida Dar for 10 with a great ball. With the required run rate climbing towards 12 it would be a very brave person to predict a Thunder win from here. They’re 76-6 after 15 overs.

A-League: Here’s the full match report from Newcastle’s big win over Western United from AAP:

Angus Thurgate
Angus Thurgate scored the only goal in Newcastle’s win over Western United. Photograph: Graham Denholm/Getty Images

Newcastle Jets have delivered a mighty upset to secure their first A-League win of the season, defeating Western United 1-0 in Geelong. Newcastle deservedly took the lead after 36 minutes through 19-year-old striker Angus Thurgate and while United grew into the game, they were unable to find a response at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday.

United were bolstered by Besart Berisha’s return, while Josh Risdon made it back from international duty in time to start, but Panagiotis Kone was missing with a hamstring injury. In Kone’s absence United struggled to control the midfield, with industrious Newcastle duo Steven Ugarkovic and Ben Kantarovski keeping the Jets ticking over.

On a number of occasions the bustling Jets were able to win possession and create a numerical advantage on the counter - only to stumble at the final hurdle with poor decisions going forward. Scott McDonald was impressive for United early, consistently drifting into dangerous positions and creating a couple of good chances while Alessandro Diamanti was typically dynamic on the ball.

But Newcastle’s Thurgate came closest to opening the scoring in the 31st minute when his skidding shot just inside the box forced a difficult diving save from Filip Kurto. Five minutes later, it would be Thurgate who broke the deadlock. Matt Millar found Thurgate, who showed some terrific hold-up play to one-touch the ball to Dimi Petratos and continue his run. Petratos fed a well-weighted ball back through to Thurgate, who slid a delightful finish past Kurto for his second career A-League goal.

United were better in the second half, with Diamanti consistently threatening to equalise, but he was unable to find the back of the net. Risdon looked to have equalised in the 70th minute when Diamanti cut inside the left flank onto his right foot and sent a curling ball to the back post for the defender to head home, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review showed Berisha had been offside in the build-up. From there, the Jets would hold on for a gutsy victory.

WBBL: Would you believe it, another LBW from the Heat! This time it’s Jess Jonassen with the big wicket of Alex Blackwell. This is a sensational bowling performance from the Heat. They are just absolutely stifling the Thunder and frustrating them into trying to play shots that aren’t on. It’s a fantastic lesson in how to defend a small total and it’s fascinating to watch.

WBBL: Well Tahlia Wilson is gone after another successful LBW shout from the Heat and Amelia Kerr takes the important wicket. Phoebe Litchfield now comes to the crease, can she pull off another big performance to change this game?

WBBL: A stifling bowling performance from the Heat has them right back on top in this game. The Thunder are stealing singles here and there but the required run rate is creeping up close to nine runs an over and some acceleration is desperately needed. Tahlia Wilson and Alex Blackwell have the unenviable job of dragging the deficit back in their team’s favour, but both have the strike power to do it if they get going. Thunder are 51-2 after 11 overs.

A-League: Western United 0-1 Newcastle Jets

A big win for the Jets, who have been languishing down the bottom of the ladder, to get this important victory over the new kids on the block, who find themselves in second place on the ladder. The first win of the season for the Novacastrians will have them celebrating all the way back over the border. Western United meanwhile will need to regroup and get their heads back in the game before taking on the Central Coast Mariners next week.

Updated

WBBL: Another wicket for the Heat sees the Thunder captain out for 11. Rachael Haynes was struggling to get her momentum going, striking at only 52, so this may not be the worst news for the Thunder. Georgie Prestwidge again was in the action, taking the wicket after her previous run out. The wicket brings former captain Alex Blackwell to the middle - she has had some good knocks so far this season, so we’ll see if she can dig the Thunder out of this little hole they’re in. They’re 37-2 after eight overs.

Updated

WBBL: A run out has given the Heat a lift, Georgie Prestwidge did the damage, stopping a boundary and throwing the ball back to find Rachel Priest short of her crease. Tahlia Wilson comes in now - it’s been a slow start for her, but there is plenty of time to take things easy and work into the match before really chipping into this total. Thunder are 23-1 after five overs - Heat were 38-2 at the same point in their innings.

A-League: Well it looked like Western United had come through with the equaliser in the 71st minute. Josh Risdon pulled out a beautiful header that evaded the keeper and found the back of the net, but VAR found an offside in the lead up and the score stays at 1-0 to Newcastle.

WBBL: It’s a double Rach(a)el start for the Thunder in Drummoyne with Priest and Haynes and it’s a good contest between bat and ball so far. The Heat have mostly kept things tight, but Priest has managed to cut loose and send a few to the boundary. With a low total to chase, it’s not a bad strategy - staying patient and taking the chances when they come. Thunder are 17-0 after three overs.

Meanwhile 16-year-old Phoebe Litchfield is having some fun with the cameras in the dug out.

A-League: We’re back on in the football and it’s still 1-0 to Newcastle. I realised I’ve been saying the game is happening in Melbourne, but it’s actually Geelong. Same thing, right Victorians? Anyway, since we haven’t had any more scoring action, let’s re-live Thurgate’s first half goal shall we?

Rugby league: A clean sweep for Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby tonight, after their women had their first ever Test win, beating England 20-16, the men backed up with a big win over Great Britain, taking the game 28-10. It completed a miserable tour for GB, who finished with no wins from four games.

WBBL: Brisbane Heat 128-8 at the innings break

Despite regular wickets for the Thunder, the Heat still managed to keep the pressure on, continuing to push the score ahead and refusing to play conservatively. As a result they’ve pulled off a defendable total and Thunder will need to bat a lot better than they did against the Sixers last night to pull off a win. Good death bowling from 17-year-old Hannah Darlington ensured the score didn’t get too out of control, snaring the wicket of Delissa Kimmince with the first ball of the last over. A fascinating Thunder innings awaits us, don’t go anywhere!

Updated

A-League: Western United 0-1 Newcastle at half-time

No more goals in the half and Newcastle will be happy with their lead going into half-time. In a pressure match the slight advantage will multiply as the game goes on. They had another chance close to half-time, but United keeper Filip Kurto was on the ball to hold them out.

WBBL: A great catch from Rachel Priest behind the stumps has seen off Heat captain Kirby Short for 11 off the bowling of Samantha Bates. With the Heat into the tail now, it will take a concerted effort to pull off a defendable total in these last three overs. They’re 103-7 after 17 overs.

A-League: And it’s Newcastle who break the deadlock first, going up 1-0 in Melbourne. Angus Thurgate did the damage, onrushing Kurto to calmly slot the goal.

WBBL: Laura Harris was starting to have a bit of a field day, reverse sweeping for four like nobody’s business. But just as it started to feel like Heat were gaining the ascendancy, in comes Lady Boom Boom with other ideas. Nida Dar smashes middle stump and Harris has to go. The Heat are now 92-6 after 14 overs.

A-League: Checking in on the game in Melbourne there is no score as yet between Western United and Newcastle. There is plenty of energy in the game and it looks like the deadlock will be broken at any moment. We’ll keep an eye on proceedings as they unfold.

WBBL: What a ball from Shabnim Ismail to dismiss the dangerous Beth Mooney. The commentators noted that it was an interesting call from Thunder captain Rachael Haynes to bowl Ismail out so early in the match, but it was an aggressive move that paid off. Mooney had just been on the mic saying she enjoyed facing Ismail because she liked working with the extra pace. I wonder how she’s feeling about that now? The Heat are now 65-5 after 11 overs.

W-League: If the team by team guide wasn’t quite enough to get you jumping around in your seat waiting for the next W-League game, Ella Reily and Samantha Lewis also gave us 10 reasons to get excited about this season. The rise of generation next and the deepening rivalries are two that have really drawn me in, but there are plenty of others in there too.

WBBL: And another one gone, Grace Harris must depart for 1 after Alex Blackwell sends the ball speeding back to find Harris desperately short of her crease. She turned blindly and didn’t run with enough hustle to make it back after Beth Mooney was determined to go for two. Her sister Laura Harris now comes in and will try to claw back some momentum for the Heat who are 53-4 after eight overs.

WBBL: Another big wicket for the Thunder, Pakistan’s Nida Dar, known to her teammates as ‘Lady Boom Boom’ grabs the big wicket of Jess Jonassen and Grace Harris is bumped up the order to try to stem the flow of wickets and pile on some runs for the visitors. The Heat are currently 50-3 after seven overs.

W-League: Our resident W-League experts, Samantha Lewis and Ella Reilly, got us excited about the start of the competition this week with this cracking team-by-team preview. Check it out and then join Scott Heinrich tomorrow on Sportwatch for a big Sunday of W-League games.

WBBL: A huge wicket for the Thunder, with Rene Farrell getting Sammy-Jo Johnson, who had been powering along with 16 off 8. It was a beautiful ball from Farrell, deceiving Johnson to go crashing into the stumps and sending the zing bails flying. Lovely stuff.

Side note: I once got Rene Farrell out in pool cricket. I told her at the time that when she was a famous cricketer I would tell everyone about this moment and I have certainly delivered on that.

A-League: While we’re waiting for the game between Western United and Newcastle, here’s the full match report on Adelaide’s win over Central Coast.

From AAP:

Giancarlo Gallifuoco of the Mariners contests the ball against Riley McGree of Adelaide.
Giancarlo Gallifuoco of the Mariners contests the ball against Riley McGree of Adelaide. Photograph: Ashley Feder/Getty Images

Adelaide have reeled off three A-League wins in a row for the first time since their 2015-16 championship after cruising to a 3-1 victory over Central Coast. The Mariners were seemingly on their way to an upset on Saturday when Milan Duric converted a penalty in just the fifth minute.

But the 5773 crowd in Gosford was left stunned when Nikola Mileusnic, Ben Halloran and Kristian Opseth all scored before halftime. The win means Gertjan Verbeek’s side can finish the round in fourth spot should Sydney FC get beaten soundly on Sunday by Melbourne Victory. For the Mariners, coach Alen Stajcic will go back to the drawing board after his side had allowed their opposition almost double the looks on goal as them.

The home side made a bright start when Samuel Silvera latched onto a long header and drew a fifth-minute foul from Michael Marrone inside the box. And while Adelaide gloveman Paul Izzo guessing correctly, Duric drilled his penalty with some height to the left for his third goal of the season.

Despite the early setback, the Reds slowly worked their way back into the contest before taking the lead off the back of Michael Maria’s strong play. The Dutch import was the catalyst for Halloran’s leveller, dribbling into the heart of the Mariners defence before finding his opposite winger. Halloran executed a crisp one-two with in-form teammate Riley McGree and beat Mark Birighitti at his near post in the 26th minute.

Maria was also pivotal in the go-ahead goal soon after, creating space down the left flank and cutting back for Mileusnic to volley into the top left corner. Halloran delivered the hammer blow moments before halftime, taking advantage of some sloppy defending to cross for an Opseth tap-in. Opseth should’ve made it a double when McGree drew a foul from Giancarlo Gallifuoco in the box in the 58th minute, but his penalty was denied by Birighitti.

On a sour note for Adelaide, captain Michael Jakobsen suffered a suspected back injury in the second half.

WBBL: The Sydney Thunder have got off to a great start after a disappointing loss to cross-town rivals the Sixers last night. South African star Shabnim Ismail pulled off a great caught and bowled to dismiss Maddy Green in the first over. Looks like this will be a big game out at Drummoyne tonight.

Cricket: Plenty of excitement in the cricket world this week when Katy Perry was announced as the entertainment at women’s T20 World Cup final in Melbourne, to be held on International Women’s Day next year. Though as one commentator on Twitter put it “I hope she doesn’t mind only being the second most talented Perry at the game.” Adam Collins took us back to 2009 when the women’s one day World Cup drew a handful of people at North Sydney Oval and reflects how far we’ve come.

A-League: Central Coast 1-3 Adelaide

Thank goodness for that action packed first half because there wasn’t too much happening after the teams returned from the sheds. It was a huge effort for Ben Halloran, who managed to score a goal for Adelaide despite apparently not knowing where he was playing? After he finally figured out the name of the stadium he was in, he seemed quite pleased to have scored his first goal there.

“I’m just rapt to get the win and now three wins on the trot for the boys, so we’re stoked,” he said after the game.

Rugby league: Yes that’s right, there’s also some rugby league on tonight! Great Britain are attempting to make their southern hemisphere tour a little less miserable in their game against Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby. Currently they’re doing an okay job of that, leading 10-0 after 27 minutes, but there is still plenty of time for them to fall in a heap, so we can keep holding on to hope.

But more importantly, in the women’s game earlier tonight the PNG Orchids won their first ever rugby league test, defeating England 20-16! If you don’t know much about this amazing team, do yourself a favour and check out Joanna Lester’s film Power Meri - one of the best sports documentaries you will ever watch.

Cricket: Everyone’s favourite Australian cricket team, CAXI, have been at it again, putting together a good knock against Pakistan. Things were looking dire for the youngsters early in their innings, but they pulled it back and currently trail by 221 late on day two of their tour match.

From AAP:

Mohammad Musa of Pakistan bowls during day 2 of the tour match.
Mohammad Musa of Pakistan bowls during day 2 of the tour match. Photograph: Richard Wainwright/AAP

Pakistan’s raw pace attack have been given a wake-up call ahead of the Test series against Australia after struggling to fire against a youth-laden Cricket Australia XI outfit.

In reply to Pakistan’s 7(dec)-386, the CA XI were reeling at 2-6 in the two-day tour match at the WACA Ground after Mohammad Abbas and 19-year-old Muhammad Musa struck early in scorching heat on Saturday. But Pakistan struggled to make inroads from that point on, with a 122-run stand between Jonathan Merlo (78) and Matthew Spoors (54no) frustrating the visitors.

The CA XI outfit, which features just five players with first-class experience, went to tea on day two at 4-152. Pakistan batsman Imam-ul-Haq went off the field for treatment after jarring his neck while fielding a ball during the morning session. Although the injury didn’t appear serious, he will be monitored ahead of the first Test at the Gabba, starting next Thursday.

The mercury soared past 40C on Saturday, and Pakistan made the hottest of starts to the day after declaring on their overnight score. Jake Carder fell for an 18-ball duck when he chopped Abbas onto his stumps. And Jayden Goodwin made just six before he edged Musa behind, leaving the home side in early strife. But the prospect of Pakistan ripping through the rest of the CA XI line-up was thwarted by fighting efforts from Merlo and Spoors.

The brave display was in stark contrast to the powerful Australia A outfit who got rolled by Pakistan for 122 at Optus Stadium earlier in the week. That performance sent a powerful message to Australia about the talent of Pakistan’s pace attack, but the visitors weren’t able to back it up with a glut of wickets against the CA XI.

Naseem Shah, a 16-year-old who has been likened to Dennis Lillee, unleashed some ferocious bouncers on Saturday but wasn’t able to snare a wicket during the first two sessions. Abbas (2-22 from 14 overs) was excellent, while Musa (1-24 from 10 overs) was economical.

Imran Khan, who snared 5-32 against Australia A earlier in the week, and 19-year-old Shaheem Afridi are yet to bowl in the warm-up match, with Pakistan rotating through 15 players. Asad Shafiq’s unbeaten 101 was the highlight of day one, with teenage spinner Lloyd Pope (5-100) also impressing.

A-League: Checking in on the game in Gosford now and the score remains at 3-1 to Adelaide. Not an overly eventful second half so far, but we still have 20 odd minutes remaining, so things could get wild at any time now. Meanwhile, while the Mariners may not be troubling the scorer too much in this match so far, they are doing some good stuff off the field.

Women’s sport: And now it’s time for my favourite part of the week, plugging my own articles! This one took quite a lot of work, so I’d appreciate it if you clicked the link and did a lot of ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ over all the fancy numbers I managed to dig up. I was delving into the Matildas’ new pay deal and comparing how it stacks up against other women’s team sports.

Football: Speaking of inspirational young women, Sam Kerr had everyone talking when she announced her new deal with Chelsea this week. If you missed the finer details of it, Samantha Lewis has you covered in a great article on Kerr’s rise to the top of the football world.

Kerr’s meteoric rise has paralleled the growth of women’s football more widely. Her own strides on the field, measured by an increasingly-cluttered trophy cabinet and consecutive goalscoring records, have been matched by an unprecedented global interest in the women’s game, most recently highlighted by over one billion people tuning in to watch the 2019 World Cup.”

Cricket: There’s more cricket to come this evening, with the Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat match coming up in just over an hour. But before we get there, this thought-provoking piece about 17-year-old Faizah Hashmi from the ever-brilliant Tanya Aldred had me shedding a few tears during the week.

I believe in the Qur’an, every line, every sentence can be dissected into deeper meaning. ‘Verily with hardship comes ease’ … This is my story of how cricket saved my life.” For five or six minutes, the room listened in stillness as she nakedly, lyrically, described her descent into anorexia. The angry despair, the endless fight, the guilt and the secret pleasure, the lies and the secrecy, and then her path away from its clutches.

Football: And while we’re on football, my old buddy Richard Parkin has written a great piece this week on the Socceroos World Cup qualifying chances. While things have gone pretty smoothly so far, there are concerns surrounding the lack of experience and star power in the current side. A very interesting article, a perfect read for this lazy Saturday evening.

A-League: Central Coast 1-3 Adelaide at half-time

Plenty of action in the first half of the game in Gosford today, but not much of it has gone the way of the home team. A Fardal Opseth goal in the 46th minute was the perfect way to finish the half. After a slow start to the season, Adelaide have been marching up the ladder and will be looking to keep up their dominance in the second half and put pressure on Sydney FC who are currently sitting just ahead of them on the ladder in fourth place.

Cricket: It’s been a frantic start with lots of results, but let’s take some time to chill and reminisce on what’s been happening during the week. And why not start with the good news story of the week? Everyone’s favourite Romanian cricketer Pavel Florin was able to get a visa to come and play for Melbourne side Surrey Hills after initially being refused. Florin will take part in a game for the club’s development team tomorrow, with the aim to inspire more people to take up cricket for the pure love of the sport.

Hockey One Women's: Brisbane Blaze 1 (3) - Hockey Club Melbourne 1 (2)

With the full-time scores locked at 1-1, it was off to a penalty shootout in Melbourne. With teams still unable to be separated after five shots each, further shots were added and at last it was the Brisbane Blaze who broke the deadlock and slotted the winning shot.

A tight game from start to finish, the first goal wasn’t scored until 37 minutes in. Both keepers were sensational, with neither team having easy access to goal, even in the penalty shoot out. Hannah Astbury, the Blaze’s keeper, was solid under pressure and her teammates dived on her after the final whistle.

Captain Jodie Kenny was effusive in her praise of Astbury, and was delighted with the support of the fans who attended.

“For our supporters to travel to Melbourne is really special, we really thank them,” she said after the match. “Also to the girls in our team who kept us going when some of the team were off playing for the Hockeyroos, we couldn’t have done it without them.”

WBBL: Adelaide Strikers 153-2 beat Melbourne Stars 96-8

It was a dominant performance from start to finish by the Strikers, who are really making their mark in this season of the competition and are looking like they will be a major contender come finals. Despite losing Susie Bates for 18 in the sixth over and Tahlia McGrath for 10 in the ninth, the women in blue were in control with the bat. Bridget Patterson batted admirably at number four, finishing with 41 not out from 29 balls.

But the story of the day belongs to 30-year-old New Zealand international Sophie Devine who smashed 77 off 58 before backing up with the ball to take 3-13, including the key wickets of Lizelle Lee and Mignon du Preez.

Hockey One Men's: NSW Pride 8-3 Brisbane Blaze

In case you haven’t been following, Hockey One is the new national league for hockey - having gone down the route that every sport has done at some point in the past eight years by saying “We want to create the Big Bash of (insert sport here).” Hockey’s version of this includes “conversions” that take place after a field goal is scored, where the player who scores the goal gets a set shot opportunity to put another point on the board.

A TV deal with Kayo and Foxtel has helped increase visibility of the sport, who often struggle to get coverage outside of the Olympics. A less than stellar crowd assembled for the grand finals at Melbourne’s State Netball and Hockey Centre, but the league will aim to build on this base.

In an admirable move, the men’s final was played first, which is a nice break from tradition with double headers in most sports where the women’s game is often seen as a curtain raiser to the men’s game.

NSW Pride have had a dominant season in the men’s competition and brought that form into today’s match. While Brisbane scored first, NSW were quick to strike back, with an incredible performance from Kookaburra Tim Brand, who scored three goals in the first half.

NSW built on their dominant performance and two late goals from Brisbane wasn’t enough to put them back in the match. Flynn Ogilvie from NSW was named player of the match.

Preamble

Welcome to another big Saturday of sport-watching all around Australia. There’s plenty going on today - grand finals of the new Hockey One league from Melbourne, some A-League action from the Central Coast and Melbourne and WBBL from the Barossa and Drummoyne. Don’t leave me feeling lonely here watching sport all on my lonesome. Slide into the comments, tweet or email me to give me your thoughts on what’s going on around the country. So, let us not drag our heels any longer, time to get cracking!

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