Geraldton women’s cricket side crowned best in regional WA at country week 2025

Geraldton officially has the best women cricketers in regional and rural Western Australia.

That is iron-clad after Geraldton’s two sides won respective sections at the WA Country Cricket Championships, also known as country week, in Perth over the long weekend.

The top team, in A-section, won four of five qualifiers to advance to the grand final at the WACA against a powerful Bunbury Red on Monday.

Not only had Bunbury Red inflicted one of two defeats Geraldton suffered in the qualifiers, but they also beat them in the 2023 and 2024 deciders. There was emotion as well as honour at stake.

Geraldton’s Jo Walker won the toss and batted, and her side made a great start with openers Meg Spalding (43 off 42 balls) and Ruth Vorster (46 off 40 balls) putting on 78.

Their stand ended when Lily Finlay and Lucy Mullins combined to run Vorster out, but she’d done well hitting four fours in the first three overs to set the tone. In all she hit five fours.

Spalding, also impressed with five fours and surprisingly retired after the 14th over but Geraldton pressed on through the remaining overs to tally 6-154 with runs from Abby Green (12), Lauren Newman (11) and Charli Bidwell (14). Finlay also did well with the ball by taking 3-40.

Bunbury lost Bronwyn Walker early in the reply, caught by Charli Bidwell off Joanne Walker. Bidwell’s ‘keeping was effervescent throughout the tournament with four catches, two stumpings, a direct hit run out and assists in seven other run outs.

Emma Bresser (30 off 36 balls) and Molly Lincoln added 40 and looked composed only for Lincoln to be caught by Kasey Maynard off Green (2-29).

It was 3-69 when Isabelle MacPherson made a vital decision when she bowled Bresser and the required run rate was now an issue for Bunbury.

Finlay was run out by Green and it was 5-82 when Lisa Smith was victim to a magnificent direct hit run out by Olivia Bidwell.

Hollie Perkin (58 off 52 balls) took the game and put on 56 with Amber Boyd (16) to give Bunbury a chance of getting the 70 runs needed off six overs to win.

They took 17 off a MacPherson over and 13 and 10 off respective Sam Biddiscombe and Green overs but the task was always too great.

In the final over, Boyd was run out by an Olivia Bidwell return to Green and off the last ball, Perkin was caught by Newman off Green.

Bunbury finished at 7-146 and like two previous A-section finals between these sides, it was a superb game.

But this time Geraldton added to triumphs in the inaugural women’s country week in 2021 and in 2022 but those were played at home, so this was a first victory on away pitches.

Individual batting highlights in the event included Olivia Bidwell’s 158 runs at 52.66 and Newman’s 132 runs at 44 while Spalding and Vorster made 115 and 110 runs respectively.

With the ball, both Walker and MacPherson took five wickets and Biddiscombe and Jess Wake had four.

Walker’s record as captain is 20 wins in 26 games.