Women's cricket season wrap: Maiden T20 title and Friday night (high)lights

WINNERS ARE GRINNERS: Orange CYMS Cricket Club's team for the third and final ODCA WOmen's T20 match of the season, the game which clinched the premiership.

Orange CYMS Cricket Club's women's players secured the 2024-25 season's first trophy in claiming the inaugural Orange District Cricket Association's Women's T20 series.

The victory, secured via two wins in a three-game series against Orange City, was the highlight of what was another strong season by the club's female teams.

Less than 18 months since women's cricket was officially launched in Orange, CYMS has five of the 13 teams in the ever-popular Friday Night Social Cricket League.

From those 50 players a squad of players was selected for the city's first female-only T20 competition, led by Western Zone stars Stacey Cornish and Addie Johnson, as well as women's club captain Jo Ferguson.

After losing the first game of the series to a strong Orange City line-up, the team rallied to win the second game at Jack Brabham Park before producing their best performance in the decider at Moulder Park, led by Amanda Worthington with the ball and Cornish and Johnson with the bat.

Some of the players who played in the premiership-winning T20 teams, with the spoils of victory.

Orange CYMS Cricket Club President Ben McNiven said the T20 premiership was one of the sweetest in the club's long and proud history.

"Since the idea of women's cricket was floated in Orange in late 2023 we have been blessed with not only some of the best players in town, but also some of the best team leaders and organisers," McNiven said.

"It's no fluke that our team was able to win the ODCA T20 competition. Stacey and Addie are two of the best players in Western NSW, and along with Jo and Pip [Elmes], have led the program from the start.

"There will only ever be one team and one club that can win the first of any title so we are delighted that our team won this trophy.

"Women's cricket continues to be the jewel in CYMS's crown and I can't wait to see the success that future seasons will bring."

The five Friday night teams also performed well, with Green finishing second and the others fourth, fifth, tenth and eleventh in an expanded competition.

The club boasts the top three run-scorers: Cornish (184 runs), Bec Owen (174) and Kendall Graham (168), with Ferguson (5th, 160 runs), Sandra Schmich (10th, 137), Lucy Cowper (129, 11th) and Nicole Churchland (13th, 112) also prominent among the league's best batters.

It was a similar story in the list of the leading wicket-takers, with Charlotte Thompson, Jen Sharp and Ava Elmes all in the top 10 with six wickets apiece.

Orange CYMS Cricket Club's Friday Night Social League teams for the 2024-25 season.

McNiven thanked the players for their efforts, especially the team captains.

"We are incredibly fortunate to have great group of people captaining these teams, ensuring they are organised and ready to go on Friday evenings," McNiven said.

"Special thanks to Jo Ferguson, Rachel Sewell, Charlotte Thompson, Kylie Garvin and Pip Elmes for doing this, as well as the other volunteers who helped score and umpire."

The Friday Night Social League teams were as follows:

Green: Jo Ferguson (c), Fiona Miller, Chantelle Larfield, Stacey Cornish, Clare Ham, Jemma Yellowlees, Amy Symons, Jennifer Martin, Lucy Cowper, Grace Wigmore

Gold: Pip Elmes (c), Stef Loader, Abby Fewings, Sreelakshmi Avirneni, Ava Elmes, Jenny Clough, Emma Jeffery, Arlie Jeffery, Danique Loveday, Kim Cunich

Red: Rachel Sewell (c), Ellen Wolsey, Sandra Schmich, Jordan Schmich, Lucy McDermott, Kristy O'Brien, Bimla Bashyal, Kim Radford, Lana Cole, Caitlin Size

White: Charlotte Thompson (c), Jen Edwards, Joanne Kennedy, Kylie Winslade, Sarah Kennedy, Kerrie Porter , Danielle Golding , Charlotte McKay, Lauren Davis

Blue: Kylie Garvin (c), Nicole Churchland, Emily Wythes, Bec Owen, Jen Sharp, Stacie Mulhall, Tammie Cubbin, Kendall Graham, Nancy Nayler, Karen O'Neill