A classy hundred from New Town’s Jessica Bohn ensured the Bucks were victorious over Clarence at Kangaroo Bay Oval on Sunday, while Kingborough and University booked places in next Thursday’s men’s T20 Grand Final.
The win marked New Town’s first in the women’s Kookaburra Cup this season as a faint glimmer of hope remains for the Bucks’ chances of making the final.
Coach Nathan Wegman isn’t focused on silverware however, instead concentrating on the competitiveness of his team.
“We’re a really young, inexperienced side,” he said. “We know where we're at and we know where we're building.”
“We do need to add some more experience to our female program next season, which we're already eyeing to do and looking at which players we can hopefully add to our group, whether it be from local or interstate.
“We just want to be competitive every game.
“We want to bat as long as we can each game. I think there's only been one game throughout the season where we haven't faced our full amount of overs.
“We've got five of our girls playing in the under-16 nationals, so I think it holds us in good stead for the future and shows that our program is actually working.”
Bohn’s century, 122 not out from 164 balls, helped power New Town to a score of 2-304, a target that proved unassailable for Clarence’s batters.
The score marks the wicketkeeper-batsman’s first in triple-figures since arriving from Dandenong in Victoria before the beginning of the season.
“It's well deserved by Jess,” Wegman said.
“I'm really happy for her to get to her first hundred ever.
“She's been building and she works incredibly hard as well.
“With the loss of experienced players we've had this season, she's been invaluable in that sense as well as a leader for us.
“She shows the girls how much she actually works on her batting.
“It’s just a good reward for somebody that puts in a lot of effort.”
Bohn was supported by all-rounder Callie Wilson, who made her first half-century of the season, belting 83 not out off 60 balls.
The seamer’s knock may have convinced herself of her batting ability, along with plenty of others.
“When she first came to the club, she told me that she can't bat at all,” Wegman said.
“I had to watch her early doors and say, well you can bat, you just don't have the confidence in yourself.
“Callie has worked incredibly hard on her batting as she does with her bowling.
“For her to get 80 not out off 60-odd balls was fantastic and it was really good momentum for us at the end of the innings.”
A spirited fight from Clarence’s batters in response, particularly from Maisy Gibson (70 off 92 balls), was too little too late as New Town took the win by 73 runs.
Ellie Mathews (3/42 off 9 overs) was the pick of the bowlers for the visitors, who have their first points of their one-day campaign.
Greater Northern Raiders’ superstar Emma Manix-Geeves has once again taken a match by the scruff of the neck, this time proving her proficiency in all three factors of the game against North Hobart at Soldiers Memorial Oval.
The two-time Kim Fazackerley medallist kept wickets for the first 39 overs of the match, before taking the ball and tearing through the Demons batting order.
Manix-Geeves took 5/6 off 6 overs, just narrowly missing on bowling the hosts out, before opening the batting and hitting 118 off 121 balls for her first century in 2026.
The century provided an answer to Caitlin Mair’s for North Hobart, who smashed 131 off 129 balls to play a major role in the Demons’ score of 9-245.
Ruth Johnston assisted opening partner Manix-Geeves in the chase for the Raiders, making a quickfire 65 off 46 balls as the visitors won by seven wickets with 13.3 overs remaining.
In the men’s competition, University’s path to defending its T20 crown continues after defeating Lindisfarne in Sunday’s semi-final.
Inspirational skipper Ruwantha Kellapotha delivered with the bat once again, hitting 51 off 40 balls as the Lions set 165.
Lindisfarne did not roll over however, with Keegan Oates (41 off 25 balls) and Joe McGann (47 off 31 balls) displaying their hitting power as the chase went down to the final over.
Young Uni seamer Louis Smith (3/39 off 3.4 overs) took the final wicket of Marcus Bean (20 off 9 balls) with two balls remaining, meaning the Lightning fell seven runs short of a grand final berth.
On Saturday, the Lions played out a draw with Kingborough at the Twin Ovals, following a rain-affected day one.
Kellapotha (77 off 89 balls) and Smith (66 not out off 96 balls) were influential again as Uni declared at 6-331 with ample time left in the day.
Kingborough’s chase never hit full gear, losing wickets at steady increments before Josh Henley (47 not out off 129 balls) and Jack Ross (50 off 119 balls) steadied the ship.
The match petered out and the points were split between the two rivals, with the Knights ending day two at 7-190.
It won’t be a long wait until the two sides meet again, with Kingborough also successful in a T20 semi-final on Sunday, defeating New Town by seven wickets.
Playing-coach Tom Martyn (3/20 off 4 overs) and spinner Nivethan Radhakrishnan (3/21 off 4 overs) dominated the Bucks with the ball, restricting them to 119 despite a typically impressive innings from opener Jayden Vince (61 off 47 balls).
Radhakrishnan then displayed his all-round ability, accumulating an unbeaten 59 off 49 balls as Kingborough cruised home with 3.3 overs remaining.
The remaining Saturday two-day games all resulted in the chasing team being victorious.
The Greater Northern Raiders erased North Hobart’s 202 at the TCA Ground, with Cooper Anthes (46 off 112 balls) and captain-coach Alistair Taylor (34 off 92 balls) setting the platform for the middle-order.
Brayden DeVries (31 not out off 57 balls) and Oliver Wood (61 not out off 60 balls) saw the Raiders home, ensuring the pressure on New Town at the top of the CTPL ladder remains constant.
Lindisfarne’s Charlie Wakim has set the record for the most centuries in a CTPL season with five, as the Lightning pulled off a mammoth chase against Glenorchy.
Joe McGann (5/71 off 19.1 overs) was diligent for the hosts as Glenorchy posted 310, before Wakim took control of the game, hitting 18 boundaries on his way to 139 not out off 143 balls.
Prasanna Ketheeshwaran (61 off 118 balls) and Tom McGann (42 not out off 67 balls) also played important roles as Lindisfarne won by seven wickets.
The Lightning remain in the top four, ahead of Kingborough by three points.
New Town managed to defeat South Hobart-Sandy Bay at home, despite a shaky chase that saw the Bucks lose seven wickets, four of those to experienced seamer Gabe Bell (4/57 off 20 overs).
However, it was Tyler Willmott who provided the bulk of the runs for the hosts, playing his way to 74 off 132 balls.
The Bucks got to the Sharks’ 182 with three wickets in-hand to maintain their grip on first position on the overall ladder.