By Tara Murray
Lancefield overcame a couple of mid season hiccups to win through to the North West Metropolitan Cricket Association women’s division 1 grand final.
After starting their inaugural season with no expectations, the Tigers have gelled well and put together a strong season.
The Tigers started in division 2, before being promoted to division 1 after grading.
They finished the regular season in second spot with eight wins.
Tigers captain Emily Consigilo said it was exciting when they realised they had made the grand final after beating Aberfeldie.
“We made the runs in the 17th over,” she said.
“We then sang for the first time. Everyone was high-fiving and in yellow and black.
“Rather than a speech from me, we sang the song and it was 10 times better.”
Consigilo said their season hadn’t been without some challenges, but in hindsight they were a blessing in disguise.
She said they had worked hard to get where they were.
“We were probably a bit cheeky at the start and got excited about maybe going deep into the competition,” she said.
“We were on top of the ladder for most of the competition.
“We got a couple of knockbacks in the middle. They came at the right time for us.”
Consigilo said the key for them this season had been a good balance between experienced and inexperienced players.
As the season has gone on, the gap between the players in the team had closed.
“We’ve sort of buddied up and the other girls have risen to the challenge,” she said.
“Rather than one or two players carrying the load, there’s nine players doing their roles.”
Lancefield, which finished second, are due to host the final on Sunday.
Consigilo said they would love to host the game at their home ground, Lancefield Park, but they were still unsure where they would play, with their men’s side also earning the right to host a final on that day.
She said there had been a big crowd to watch them a couple of weeks ago when they hosted a pink stumps day.
There was a week off between the semi-final and grand final due to the long weekend and women’s World Cup final.
Consigilo said they had plans for a few good coaches to come out and take some sessions.
The Tigers will face Youlden Parkville in the grand final.
Consigilo said there had been mixed results between the two teams this season.
“We’ve played them four times, twice in division 2 and twice in division 1,” she said.
“When we’ve played them at their ground we’ve lost, but when we’ve played them at home, we’ve won.
“We’re comfortable on our own ground.”
