By Elliot Stevenson
North Hobart has surged to the top of the CTPL Women’s 1st Grade T20 ladder following a pair of victories at the TCA Ground on Sunday.
The Demons defeated the Greater Northern Raiders by nine-wickets in the morning, before knocking off Kingborough later the same day.
Recently recruited playing-coach Julia Cavanough has begun her tenure with five wins and a solitary defeat.
“It’s amazing to continue our momentum and have some momentum going into our next couple of rounds,” she said.
“We managed to not have a full strength side on the park and still get away with two wins, so that was awesome.”
A former Raider, Cavanough is relishing her new role at the Demons, a move that is translating into on-field success.
“I find it really pleasing to just be a part of something full-time,” she said. “Playing for the Raiders I was in and out and didn’t go to any trainings.”
“To be able to be a part of this program full-time and get to know the girls and get to know the way that they play their cricket is something cool to be a part of.”
North Hobart began its day with a nine-wicket win over Greater Northern, with opening duo Melodie Armstrong (46 off 38 balls) and Ella Marsh (49 not out off 50 balls) making short work of the Raiders’ total of 3-113.
Armstrong, who made the 2024-25 Women's CTPL Team of the Year alongside Marsh, continued her momentum into the second match of the day against Kingborough, belting 70 off 53 balls to lead the Demons to 5-154.
Rain halted Kingborough’s chase at 3-57 off 7 overs, and North Hobart were declared the winners under DLS following a lengthy rain delay.
Cavanough praised Armstrong’s poise under pressure across both games.
“She’s really important for us,” she said. “To have someone of her experience at the top of our order and be able to stay out there with a couple of the younger girls.”
“She has a really level head and thinks about the game in a different way to a lot of our girls.
“She has a lot of experience playing at this level.
“For her to go out there and do what she’s been doing the last couple of years and be able to string a couple of solid innings together is definitely really important for our group as a whole.”
The pair of wins means the Demons have now won five consecutive games dating back to the opening weekend and sit proudly at the top of the table.
Kingborough also had a successful day despite the disappointment of the second match as it defeated New Town away from home on Sunday morning.
Playing-coach Emily Divin played her way to 34 off 32 balls, before Emily Kibble carved out an unbeaten 31 off 22 balls to take the Knights to 5-164.
New Town’s chase never threatened as Ellie Henley (3/22 off 4 overs) and former Demon Shelby Leonard (3/26 off 4 overs) dealt the blows with the ball.
Unlike Kingborough, the late afternoon rain played into New Town’s hands in its second game of the day against Greater Northern at New Town Oval.
Montana Bradley (63 not out off 55 balls) played a spirited innings for the visitors as they posted 4-133 off 20 overs.
The Bucks’ openers guided them to 0-62 off 9 overs, before a downpour ensured they secured their second win of the season.
In the men’s competition, University has won its first game as reigning premiers, defeating the winless North Hobart at University Oval on Saturday.
The Lions restricted their opponents to 9-217 off 50 overs, with Krystian Jankowiak claiming a hat-trick in his figures 3/32 off 8 overs, before promising youngster Charlie Hill – backing up from his 60 on Show Day - put on a batting clinic as he posted 115 not out off 131 balls as his side won by nine-wickets.
Uni captain Ruwantha Kellapotha also had a hand in the successful chase, making an unbeaten 83 off 80 balls.
Kingborough’s Zac Curtain (96 not out off 106 balls) has once again impressed, with he and captain Dylan Hay (99 not out off 125 balls) being denied centuries due to the team target being achieved.
The Knights won by nine-wickets over New Town away from home, with 1-228 off 41.2 overs being enough to win the points in a rain-affected affair.
The Bucks put forth a solid innings with the bat, scoring 8-248 as Caelan Maladay (88 off 42 balls) hit a monstrous 10 sixes – including five in succession in a 31-run Josh Henley over- before being bowled by Cameron Walter (3/44 off 10 overs).
However, it was not enough to stave off a rampaging Kingborough team on the hunt for silverware.
Lindisfarne has claimed yet another victory in season 2025-26, winning a thriller against South Hobart-Sandy Bay at Queenborough.
The Sharks, who are yet to win this season, displayed their batting prowess with an impressive 6-259, including a maiden 1st Grade century for Cooper Stubbs (101 off 108 balls).
Tom Willoughby (88 not out off 86 balls) hit his second consecutive score in the eighties.
Lindisfarne’s chase began with a hiccup as Harshtik Bimbral fell to Archie Banks-Smith on the second ball of the innings, but Charlie Wakim (106 off 107 balls) soon steadied the ship.
Matt Wilkie’s side charged home, winning by five-wickets with 17 balls remaining, powering themselves a game clear on-top of the CTPL one-day ladder, albeit with a bye to come.
The match between Glenorchy and Greater Northern on Sunday was abandoned due to the weather, but not before Billy Stanlake (4/25 off 10 overs) had an impact with the ball for the Raiders.
Glenorchy’s lower order also fired as Alex Rolle (67 off 83 balls) and Kasun Balasuriya (73 not out off 97 balls) guided the Magpies to 7-230.
Greater Northern managed 1-75 off 10.3 overs before the game was called off and the points were shared.