Mamushi won their second successive Sano City Women’s Japan Premier League title on Sunday, after securing a second victory over ACT Meteors.
The tournament was played out across six days of stunning weather at the Sano International Cricket Ground and had four teams all playing each other twice.
While Mamushi emerged victorious, they had lost their opening game against the returning Titans Ladies but bounced back in fine fashion to win all their remaining games, including a Super Over thriller against the Pacific Rays on Saturday afternoon.
Sunday’s contest against ACT Meteors, featuring for the first time, was a de-facto final with both teams coming into the match on four wins and one defeat, but it was the big game temperaments of WBBL Star Mikayla Wrigley (60 off 50 balls) and Ayaka Kato-Stafford (29 off 35 and two for 19) who took them to the title.
The morning match between the Pacific Rays and the Titans acted as a third place play-off and another WBBL stalwart, Kate Peterson, shone in making a match defining 86 from 61 balls to set up the victory and earn third place for Pacific Rays.
The expanded four-team tournament not only featured some of Australia’s finest, but one South Africa’s most famous players as former Proteas Captain Mignon Du Preez donned the purple of Mamushi and ended the tournament as leading run scorer, making history with the first century in the four-year history of the tournament.
At the post tournament awards it was Du Preez who unsurprisingly took home the best batter award, while Wrigley picked up the MVP and Amber Smith of the Meteors collected the best bowler award.
The JCA would like to thank all the players who took part, with three internationals from Singapore also joining the growing list of players from around the world to have participated in the WJPL.
Final Standings:
- Mamushi (8 Points)
- Meteors (6 Points)
- Pacific Rays (4 Points)
- Titans (2 Points)
