Sutherland have defended their women’s over-35s state title after downing Cumberland Nepean in the decider.
A wash out on Saturday of the long weekend saw the three-day tournament compressed, with Sutherland and Cumberland Nepean advancing to the final.
Featuring former Australian pitcher Zara Masters and former NSW representatives Charmaine Johns and Colleen Minehan, Sutherland went into the final undefeated.
Both sides struggled to get on base with strong pitching from Masters and Cumberland’s Lyneene Orsini, with the cold conditions making things even tougher.
With only seven hits between the sides heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, Sutherland hit three runs in what turned out to be the final inning to win the state championship for a second straight year.
“It feels pretty good… we had some tough competition and it was a big struggle to get to the final,” Masters said.
“It was a really good game. I had a few hard hits at me but I managed to get those. Our batting team is just amazing. I can’t praise them enough. As soon as we got one, I think we had loaded bases a couple of times.
“I didn’t think I could pitch much more. I have blisters on my fingers, bruises on my hand. I was kind of glad. But I really wanted to get out there and pitch the last innings but, oh well, it was time.
“The calibre of players we played against was just amazing. We’ve played with and against each other when we were in our prime. But it’s so good to have that competition at this age group.”
