CRICKET
WBBL
By LIAM DURKIN
FALTS might be a sneaky chance at the record here.
Latrobe Valley cricketer Nicole Faltum brought up her 100th appearance in the WBBL last week.
The wicketkeeper-bat celebrated the occasion in the best possible way, with her Melbourne Renegades team winning by six wickets over finals-bound Sydney Sixers.
Victory was a nice way for the Renegades to finish its WBBL season, even if the Docklands-based team finished fifth defending the title, missing finals by just one point. The Renegades were forced to sweat on other results to determine its finals fate.
Nevertheless, Faltum had a great time in the field, dismissing two of Australia’s leading players.
She stumped Alyssa Healy for a duck, possibly giving the Willow Talk podcaster something to talk about, before combining with fellow Gippslander Sophie Molineux to run out Ash Gardner.
Gardner was involved in a mix-up with Ellyse Perry (proving even she can do wrong), with Faltum making good ground to take a high return throw before diving to complete the run out.
The Sixers made 130 after 20 overs at Junction Oval, which the Renegades chased in 16.2 overs.
Faltum opened the batting, but managed just one.
Her return to Melbourne came after flying back from Perth just three days earlier. The Renegades lost the match to Perth Scorchers on Tuesday, December 2 by 30 runs.
Faltum contributed 28 off 22 balls batting at six, likely earning her a promotion to the top for her milestone match.
Faltum was mic’d up during her 100th game, joining in some pregame fun with kids who asked her to write ‘6-7’ on their caps. (cue Simpsons episode ‘Kids say the darndest things’).
The former Trafalgar and Morwell player and Moe resident is now one of 41 people to have played 100 games at WBBL level.
Given her age however (25), Faltum may have time to mow down the league record of 153 set by Jess Jonassen.
