The 2019/20 VSBL Women's Division 1, 2 and 3 competitions started back for the year and some teams have continued their red-hot form heading into the remainder of the season. Springvale is two games clear on top in Division 1, while Doncaster is in the same position in Division 2. Moorabbin and Melbourne racked up big wins in Division 3 East with some close games in Division 3 South and West too.
Women's Division 1 - Round 15
Springvale Lions 11 v Essendon Bombers 3
Springvale started 2020 with a victory over the third-placed Bombers. Essendon came into this game looking for a three-game winning streak but the Bombers fell short as Springvale got the job done.
Although missing veteran Sinead Flanigan with a back injury, Springvale relied on juniors to step up and take on more senior roles in their batting order and out on the field.
"It's always tough coming out the first game of the new year, as a lot of players take some well-deserved time off and are a bit rusty that first week back," Springvale Coach Simone Wearne said. "We were unsure what we'd get from our group against Essendon on the weekend, so we were pleased to see some good form both defensively and with the bat."
Springvale will be looking for some similarly strong performances to round out the season. "We will look to continue to focus on limiting the runs we give up with our pitching and defense as we lead into finals, that will be the difference for the four teams come the business end of the season," Wearne added.
This is the 11th win of the season for the Lions as they keep themselves two games clear on top of the ladder.
Springvale will aim to keep their hot season going at home v Footscray in round 16 while Essendon will look to bounce back at home against Doncaster.
Doncaster Dragons v Footscray Bulldogs (FORFEIT)
After a Footscray forfeit over the weekend, Doncaster has a 9-3-3 record in second place while the Bulldogs are still trying to get a win on the board.
Women's Division 2 - Round 13
Springvale Lions 17 v Essendon Bombers 3
After racking up the runs in dominant fashion over Essendon, the Lions are now three games clear of third place with four games to go in the season. Wins like this one will see Springvale take a great deal of confidence into the remainder of the season.
With a team split half and half between veteran players and developing juniors, Springvale is enjoying the ride this season and focused on improving together. "We're always trying to win, but that's not our main objective. Learning and enjoying the game is much more valuable for this group," Wearne said. "We know that Doncaster is very strong and has great depth with their young Division 2 players, so they are the benchmark for this Division and will likely remain undefeated this season. There's a long way to go for our team, but we want to challenge ourselves each week. Wheelers Hill and Fitzroy are also very competitive teams and they will be difficult to beat in the finals."
The Bombers have chalked up just one win this season, something they will hope to change in the coming weeks with a matchup against first-place Doncaster in the next round. The Lions take on Footscray next.
Fitzroy Lions 16 v Footscray Bulldogs 16
In a very tight affair between Fitzroy and Essendon with lots of offense, the two sides could not be split when time prevented any more play.
The 16-all draw was influenced by each team's desire to put runs on the board, and each did so at rapid rates.
The first innings went the way of the away side, Fitzroy getting up 4-3 as they headed into the second. Both teams put up seven runs in the second inning, with Fitzroy leading 11-10.
Fitzroy produced five runs at the top of the third, leaving the Bulldogs with a gap to fill. Footscray came back to score six and settle for a draw.
"The highlight of our game this weekend was seeing our pitching and team batting really start coming together. It was a quality team game," said Shannon Crawford, Fitzroy's Head Women's Coach. "Alex Giannakidis and Em Dimech were key players."
Fitzroy will travel to Wheelers Hill in the next round whereas the Bulldogs are away to Springvale.
Wheelers Hill Warriors 0 v Doncaster Dragons 16
The Dragons have continued to prove their strengths in this competition as they extend their winning streak to 12, sitting first as the runs keep coming in.
The Warriors had won their previous three games heading into this matchup, but the Dragons were able to stop them in their tracks. Doncaster got the shutout on the heels of a strong team performance with key contributions from starting pitcher Jessica Johnson. who kept things going smoothly before Vanessa Clifford and Brooklyn Hutton appeared in relief.
Clifford was a key hitter too for the Dragons as the team looks to keep up the momentum. "We just want to continue to improve and build going into the finals," said Ursula Howard, Women's Club Coach at Doncaster. "On the weekend we played some really solid defense, and Hannah Sowden had a nice running catch to save a run. We just need to keep improving game by game."
The Warriors will play Fitzroy next up while Doncaster takes on Essendon.
Women's Division 3 East - Round 13
Springvale Lions 0 v Moorabbin Panthers 10
A seven-run third innings and an impressive defensive display propelled the Panthers over the Lions in this matchup on the weekend.
The Panthers, who started the scoring in the first with two before ending the game with one in the fifth, improve to a 7-3 record for the season.
Springvale meanwhile has a 4-6 record and will take on a 5-5 Doncaster side on 1 Feb. Moorabbin has a bye in round 14 but will still be watching other results closely.
Melbourne Demons 16 v Doncaster Dragons 1
Melbourne blitzed through a Doncaster lineup on their way to win number nine on the season, putting the Demons two games clear on top with four games to go.
The Dragons remain in the top three and won't want to slip any further after dropping the past two games, especially with a tough matchup with Springvale coming up.
Mulgrave Rebels v BYE
Mulgrave had even more of a break with a bye but will be getting back into the swing of things when the team takes on Melbourne in two week's time.
The Rebels are 1-7 this season and will be trying everything possible to end the season on a high.
Women's Division 3 South - Round 13
Pakenham Pumas Black 12 v Bonbeach Bluejays White 14
Bonbeach White pulled off an amazing victory against Pakenham Black on the weekend, netting three runs at the bottom of the third for their second win of the season and in the meantime, denying the Pumas their first win of the season.
The Pumas scored three in the first before Bonbeach White responded with four to finish the inning with a one-run lead.
The second inning was directed more to Bonbeach White's liking, as they kept Pakenham Black to two runs and bringing in seven themselves.
It was a different story in the third though as Pakenham Black got a hold of Bonbeach White, collecting seven runs themselves at the top, the scoreline reading 12-11 to Pakenham Black.
Bonbeach steadied though when it mattered to bring the result back into their favour and in the process, took the game from the clutches of the Pumas.
In a fortnight's time, Bonbeach White (2-8) will take on Bonbeach Blue (8-1) while Pakenham Black travels to Sandringham to face the Royals.
Berwick City Cougars 5 v Sandringham Royals 13
The Royals have won their sixth game of the season in terrific fashion, beating Berwick by eight runs at home.
The Royals are on a hot three-game winning streak at the moment and will aim to keep climbing the ladder, as they have done throughout that form.
They'll be facing Pakenham Black next time around whereas Berwick takes on Pakenham White in what should be an even matchup.
Bonbeach Bluejays Blue v BYE
Bonbeach Blue had an extra week of rest but will come out firing when they take on Bonbeach White next round.
Bonbeach Blue sits second with an 8-1 record and have a six-game winning streak heading into the next matchup.
Women's Division 3 West - Round 13
Sunshine Eagles 13 v Geelong Baycats Blue 10
Sunshine looked strong early on, gathering nine runs in the first two innings to take a 9-2 lead heading into the bottom of the second.
Geelong however would go on to score the next four runs of the game, three in the second and one in the first as the deficit narrowed.
Sunshine found a way to respond with four in the fourth but it was quickly matched by Geelong Blue who also scored four, three runs shy of claiming a draw.
Melinda Sutherland had two hits, including a double, as well as an unassisted double play in the field to support Sunshine's victory.
Melinda Sutherland had two hits, including a double, as well as an unassisted double play in the field to support Sunshine's victory.
The Eagles have a 9-1 record after the round whereas the Baycats round out the top two with a 6-4-1 record. Next round, Geelong Blue willing be facing North Western Titans whereas Sunshine hosts Fitzroy.
Fitzroy Lions 18 v Geelong Baycats White 12
Fitzroy got things rolling in the first by bringing in four runs and kept finding form in the next two innings to lead 11-2 after the top of the third.
Geelong White's first runs of the game came in their first innings and they added another three in the third.
The fourth inning produced seven-run efforts from both sides as the margin remained the same at the conclusion of the game.
Leah Trebilcock and Christine Busby had great performances in the game for Fitzroy, while Meg Wiseman tripled to give their offense another boost.
The Lions have won their fourth game of the season to sit 4-4-1, sitting fourth behind North Western Titans who are ahead on runs for. Baycats White came close to their first success of the season, currently with a 0-10-1 record. The Lions take on the Eagles in their next fixture.
North Western Titans v BYE
North Western Titans have had a good season which currently sees them in third place with a 4-4-1 record, those four wins coming in their last five games as they have catapulted into finals calculations.
They'll be back next round against Baycats Blue.