Back-to-back wins for Badgers women

CRICKET NEWS - The newly promoted Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers women's team has stunned the Cricket South Africa Top 6 defending champions, the North West Dragons, with an emphatic nine-wicket victory in the limited-over match on Saturday.

The Garden Route Badgers completed a whitewash of victories on Sunday with a comprehensive seven-wicket victory in the Twenty20 clash.

In the limited-over match, the Badgers restricted the visitors from Potchefstroom to 124 (all out) in 38 overs.

Only Zintle Mali (50 from 61 balls; 7x4) offered resistance against the accurate bowling of the Badgers bowling pair of Micaela Andrews (3/15 in seven overs) and Jané Winster (3/28 in 10 overs). Khaykazi Mathe (2/23 in seven overs) offered valuable support with the ball.

The Badgers lost their first wicket at 9, but Protea batting hero Tazmin Brits (72*; 62 balls, 1x6, 12x4) and the Beaufort West-born Annerie Dercksen (42*; 52 balls, 1x6, 5x4) produced an unbroken match-winning partnership of 127 runs in 67 minutes to take the home side over the line (127/1) in the 20th over for a bonus point victory.

Andrews, Brits, Dercksen and Winster recently attended the Momentum Proteas training camp in Gqberha.

In the Twenty20 match on Sunday, the Dragons were restricted to 102/5 in their allotted 20 overs against a disciplined Badgers bowling attack.

Khayakazi Mathe (2/18 in four overs) and Marnazelle Rabie (2/24 in four overs) were the pick of the bowlers while Izel Cilliers 25 (40 balls; 3x4) was the only visiting batter that made an impression.

The Badgers got their run chase off to a perfect start with a 42 runs (from 39 balls) opening partnership between Annerie Dercksen (23; 19 balls, 1x6, 2x4) and Tazmin Brits. It was however the hard-hatting and dominating batting display from Brits who scored an unbeaten 46* (from 47 balls, 2x4) that secured a seven-wicket victory for the Badgers, who reached the winning target (105/3) after 16,1 overs.

A victory within 16 overs would have been a bonus point victory.

The head coach of the Garden Route Badgers Women's team, Martelize van der Merwe (centre) with the heroes of the Badgers in their nine-wicket victory against the North West Dragons, from left: Annerie Dercksen, Tazmin Brits, Jané Winster and Micaela Andrews.