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Aussies too polished in all facets

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Description: Peta Verco bats with Australian Captain Sharon Tredrea. At Wicket is Lorraine Vincent, who shared duties with Penny Kinsella during the match. Dave Kinsella is umpire.

This image was taken (but not used) by the Evening Standard on 19th of January 1982. It depicts Manawatū Women’s cricket team taking on the International Australian Women’s team in a limited over warm-up match for the Hansell's Vita Fresh Women's World Cup 1981/1982. The match was held at Ongley Park in Palmerston North. The Australian team won by 202 runs. The match report ‘Aussies too polished in all facets’ was written by Ford Watson and published the next day:

“The Australian women's cricket team handed a 202- run thrashing to Manawatu in a limited overs mis-match in Palmerston North yesterday. Manawatu crumbled to 33 all out in 25.3 overs in reply to Australia's 235 for three from its allotted 60 overs, in a game which really offered only batting practice to the tourists.

Australia simply over- powered Manawatu in every facet of the game - batting sensibly, bowling more tightly and putting on a fielding display of outstanding quality. Opening batswoman Peta Verco took the player of the day award with a polished 75 and then taking one for none with the ball.

Captain Sharon Tredrea struck a brisk 21, Karen Read was solid in scoring 33 and Lee Albon with 48 not out and Marie Cornish, 45 not out, hit out in the final overs as Australia posted a total Manawatu was never going to get.

Manawatu bowlers, however, stuck gamely to the task of attempting to contain the free-scoring visitors with captain Viv Stephens, Gail Aldridge and Mary Connell all bowling well. In the field Lorraine Vincent was safest, and Beryl May chased everything.

At bat, unfortunately, Manawatu made it look too easy for the Australians.

Even with big guns Sharon Tredrea and Raelee Thompson cooling their heels in the windswept outfield of Ongley Park Manawatu's batswomen went like lambs to the slaughter to Australia's attack.

After 14 overs from Denise Martin and Chris White, Manawatu were a shaky 14 for two, but it was spinner Lvnnette Fullston who wrecked the innings.

She had Stephens caught in the deep from the first ball she bowled, and then the middle and lower order capitulated to her control. Tossing the ball well up into the wind Fullston had the crease-hound Manawatu batswomen all at sea. The last seven wickets fell in the space of only 12 runs as Fullston grabbed five wickets for 10 from 5.3 overs.

Such was the dominance of the ball that the Manawatu innings contained only one boundary, а ragged cheer greeting Connell's blow.

That there weren't more boundaries and more runs was due in large measure too to the fine fielding of the athletic Australian side.

Of them, Marie Cornish was superb. Her running catch to dismiss Penny Kinsella was an excellent one in the wind, and her run out of Vincent was inevitable from the moment she had the ball in her hand at deep fine leg.

Team manager Ann Mitchell said afterward she was happy with the work out the side had, and the team was brimming with confidence going into today's match against the International XI in the World Cup competition. She said the batting practice gained was valuable, and the Australian batswomen were getting used to New Zealand pitches.”

Hosting the Women’s World Cup was a huge coup for the New Zealand Women’s Cricket Council. They had managed to secure corporate sponsorship in a time of amateur status in the women’s game. Most matches were well attended and raised the profile of the women’s game in New Zealand, with a marked increase in adult players over the coming years. It was also marked by controversy - the West Indian team pulled out of the event in protest at New Zealand’s acceptance of the touring Springbok Rugby team in 1981. The counties who participated were New Zealand, England, Australia, India and an International XI comprised of international players who had not made their representative sides, plus two players from the Netherlands.