Gades Watch: Gades propel Vics, Molineux in Baggy green, Dixon earns WC crown

Maddo, Sutho fire against NSW

Rain wreaked havoc on Sydney on Monday, stopping a rampant Victoria in its tracks in its recent Marsh Sheffield Shield match against NSW which was dominated by a trio of Renegades.

It was Vics captain and Gades gun Will Sutherland who set the tone early in the match. Fresh from his stint with the Aussie squad, Sutherland finished with 5/51 from his 17 overs to help skittle NSW for 252 in an outstanding display of fast bowling.

Renegades skipper Nic Maddinson spearheaded Victoria's first innings response, posting his 17th first class century and second in as many matches, with 108 from 136 deliveries (the first of three tons scored in the 6d/454 total) including 11 boundaries. It has been a superb return to Shield cricket after nearly 12 months on the sidelines recovering from an ACL rupture and a slow build during his recent BBL|13 campaign.

Despite all of Victoria's dominance, there was a shining light in the Blues' bowling stocks. Nathan Lyon, a Sixer-turned-Gade, played a lone hand by taking five of NSW's six wickets in his mammoth 52-over spell.

Victoria fell just two wickets shy of securing top spot on the Marsh Sheffield Shield ladder before the weather turned sour and reduced the four-day contest at the SCG to a draw. Victoria now faces a top-of-the-table clash in Hobart with comp leaders Tasmania from March 1, with only 2.02 points separating the top two teams.

Bowlers shine in Vic's WNCL finale

Renegades pacer Georgia Prestwidge is in fine touch with both bat and ball, coming out as one of Victoria's top performers against Tasmania in its final WNCL games of the season at CitiPower Centre.

Victoria was on the wrong end of the result in game one, defeated by seven wickets. But Prestwidge can hold her head high after scoring an unbeaten half-century which propelled Victoria's innings. In trouble early, Victoria recovered to finish on 5/255 with Prestidge (56*) and Gades teammate Ella Hayward (40) - alongside Tessa Flintoff's 60 - lifting the total.

Prestwidge's good form continued in game two, but with the ball this time, leading the charge as Victoria ended its season on a high note and defeated the ladder-leaders by 24 runs.

After setting the Tigers 269 for victory, Presto (3/43 from nine overs) joined forces with fellow Gades Rhian O'Donnell (3/43 from nine overs), Tayla Vlaeminck (2/44) and Hayward (1/42) to collect nine of the 10 wickets needed to secure the win.

Molineux dons the Baggy Green again

How good was it seeing our WBBL skipper under the Baggy Green lid last week???!!!

It has been a long wait, but Sophie Molineux earned her international recall for the first time since 2021 in Australia's recent Test match against South Africa in Perth.

In a match dominated by the Aussies, Molineux played a low key but crucial role in Australia's innings-and-284-run win with 33 runs in the first innings before bowling well without reward in an economical 10-over spell (0/11).

Molineux will now turn her attention to this month's Women's Premier League, where the 26-year-old will suit up for the Royal Challengers Bangalore alongside Gades teammate Georgia Wareham.

You're a wizard champion, Harry!

Last time we checked in, Harry Dixon and his U/19 Aussie teammates were preparing for a huge World Cup final against India.

Well, they prevailed and have returned to Australia from South African world champions following their 79-run win in Benoni, Johannesburg.

Dixon, who joined the Renegades ahead of the BBL|13 season, showed extreme poise to score 42 in a clutch 78-run partnership with skipper Hugh Weigben. The Aussies would go on to set 258 for victory, a total too strong for India (178) to chase down.

Dixon was one of the tournament's best batters, the opener finishing with 309 runs from his seven matches, including three half-centuries, to earn himself a spot in the Team of the Tournament.