At the top of their game

By Jarrod Potter
HALLAM Senior College girls’ cricket team made it back-to-back state titles after beating Bendigo and Bacchus Marsh last Tuesday.
Hallam smashed Bacchus Marsh in the final, winning by 10 wickets after chasing 38 off eight overs. The girls cut down the Bacchus Marsh batting with a hat-trick from Sharna Naidu and an economical 2/3 from Kirsten McLeod. Naidu and Chloe McMillan chased down the runs without hassle to take the victory.
Needing to prevent Bacchus Marsh from piling on runs, Hallam took two brilliant wickets, with wicketkeeper Ellie Blackburn tapping the ball onto the stumps in mid-air to create a great run out and then Rachel Hunt took a superb catch.
“It was a really good win,” Hallam coach Brett Alexander said.
“They had to step up; the semi-final they were challenged a bit, but won it comfortably, but we knew the match against Bacchus Marsh would be difficult, as they put 130 on for the openers.
“But we got them out for six and a duck so it put pressure on their batsmen and they folded from there.”
Hallam won their way into the final by chasing the Bendigo Secondary School total of 5/69 in the semi-final. Naidu and Rachel Hunt both took 2/7 off four overs and Kiah Laughlin Glen hit an attacking 51 not out.
“Kiah was great,” Alexander said. “We lost a couple of wickets early and she hit several boundaries to get on top of them.”
The win brings to an end a very successful year for Hallam, with wins for the girls and boys in the football and wins for the girls in the cricket.
“The (girls) program is going really well,” Alexander said.
“I’ve only got so many spots I can offer, so it’s going really well in that regards. I only lose 3-4 girls for next year, so getting a few more girls in will be great.
“A lot of the new girls coming in are Year 10s. Got 19 new girls starting and 12 are Year 10 girls.
“It will be a challenge with a younger group and the nine remaining from last year, so a squad of 28 is a big amount to work with, but it makes for exciting times.”
At the Hallam sports awards night on Monday, Ellie Blackburn won the football best-and-fairest and Chloe McMillan received the cricket award.