Saturday was supposed to be a thrilling day of women’s cricket but the weather on the Apple Isle clearly had other ideas.
Rotten weather in Launceston has put a damper on what was supposed a blockbuster day of women’s cricket.
Three of the four WBBL games scheduled to be played on Saturday were abandoned due to wet weather, as the pitches at Invermay Park and UTAS Stadium struggled to cope with the downpour.
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The first match of the day, between the Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes, was called off after a significant rain delay during the first innings at Invermay Park.
The cancellation would have been particularly frustrating for the Strikers, who were in complete control after 16 overs of play. Darcie Brown and Amanda-Jade Wellington looked in ominous touch for the Strikers, as the Hurricanes lost five wickets on their way to posting 107 runs.
Both sides will be awarded one competition point each and the game will not be rescheduled.
The clash between the Melbourne Stars and Brisbane Heat was abandoned before a ball was bowled due to torrential rain at Invermay Park.
The sides will share the spoils and won’t have their match rescheduled.
Stars opening batter Elyse Villani admitted she was disappointed the match had to be abandoned.
“It’s a real shame, to be honest,” she told Fox Cricket.
“I feel like we’ve got a bit of momentum at the moment after a really good win against the Sixers. We were looking to carry on that momentum today.
“I feel like it would have been a really great battle against the Brisbane Heat, particularly with a couple of short boundaries.”
Cricket pundits said poor drainage at Invermay Park was likely responsible for the two cancellations.
“It’s the pros and cons of getting away from the major grounds,” said former WODI star Mel Jones in commentary.
“The smaller grounds are perfect for some types of match-ups for WBBL.
“At the same time, the investment and the money that goes into the infrastructure isn’t quite there to match the big grounds.”
The first of two games set to be played at UTAS Stadium, a Sydney derby between the Sixers and Thunder, was delayed by almost an hour due to the weather before it was finally called off just after 4:30pm (AEDT).
The cancellation was made all the more frustrating for cricket fans given that Sydney is no longer in lockdown and was enjoying pristine weather on Saturday.
As with the previous two clashes, the two sides will be awarded one competition point each.
It remains to be seen whether the downpour will affect the fourth clash, due to be contested by the Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers at UTAS Stadium.
Launceston is set to host the majority of the WBBL’s games for the rest of the the month but with rain also forecast for Sunday and next weekend, there could be more cancellations on the cards.
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