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Tasmanian Cricket Announces Historic 2025 Field of Fame Inductees

HOBART, Tasmania – In a celebration of cricketing excellence spanning generations, Tasmania Cricket today announced its 2025 Field of Fame inductees: the 2022-23 Tasmanian Tigers Women’s Team, the 1985-86 Tasmanian Senior Women’s Cricket Team, and Australian Test captain Tim Paine. The induction recognizes the profound impact these individuals and teams have had on the sport within Tasmania and beyond.

The 2022-23 Tasmanian Tigers Women’s Team etched their names into domestic cricket history with a dramatic WNCL title victory. In a rain-affected final, Sarah Coyte delivered a stunning performance, claiming three wickets and a run-out to deny South Australia the win – a moment that solidified the Tigers’ reputation as a powerhouse. The team, captained by Elyse Villani who led with 705 runs, also benefited from strong contributions from Lizelle Lee (559 runs), Sarah Coyte (30 wickets), and Molly Strano (22 wickets).The championship squad included Nicola Carey, Julia Cavanough, Maisy Gibson, Heather Graham, Emma Manix-Geeves, Sasha Moloney, Clare scott, hayley Silver-Holmes, Amy Smith, Naomi Stalenberg, Molly Strano, Emma Thompson, Rachel Trenaman, Elyse Villani, and Callie Wilson, losing only two matches throughout the entire year.

This induction acknowledges not only their on-field success but also their role in establishing the Tasmanian Tigers female program as a true dynasty, guided by coaches Jude Coleman and Dan Marsh, with support from Alex Pyecroft and Clive Rose.

Joining the Tigers is the pioneering 1985-86 Tasmanian senior Women’s Cricket Team, who made history as Tasmania’s first-ever Senior Women’s Cricket Team when they competed in the Australian Women’s Cricket Championships in Adelaide. This competition served as the forerunner to the current Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL). Captained by Julie Lonergan, with Ann Markham as vice-captain, the team featured Kim Fazackerley, Melissa Ford, Annabelle Geddes, Fran Kearney, Christine Lyons, Sarah Muller, Sandra Orth, Amanda Pearton, Jackie (later Jacqui) Stocks, Jacqui Triffitt, and Jenny Wall. Richie Woolley coached the team, with Lyn austin scoring and Christine walker managing.

This team marked the beginning of capped numbers for Tasmanian Senior female representatives and, more importantly, paved the way for future generations of female cricketers in the state. Their courage and commitment are a cornerstone of Tasmanian women’s cricket.

Rounding out the 2025 inductees is Tim Paine, a name synonymous with Tasmanian cricket. Paine represented Tasmania in 95 Sheffield Shield matches over an 18-year first-class career, amassing over 4,100 runs and achieving a state record of 296 dismissals. He also captained Australia in 35 Test matches, providing crucial leadership during a challenging period for the national side. As only the second Tasmanian to captain australia,Paine’s legacy extends far beyond statistics.

“These inductions represent a celebration of dedication, resilience, and outstanding achievement,” said a Tasmania cricket spokesperson.”Each inductee has left an indelible mark on Tasmanian cricket,and their contributions will be remembered for years to come.”

England Overcome France ⁤to Secure Spot in Rugby‍ World cup Final

Auckland, New Zealand – England have secured their place in the Rugby World Cup final, defeating France⁢ 28-17 in a hard-fought semi-final clash. The victory,played in front of a capacity crowd,sees ⁣the world⁢ No.1 ⁤ranked team advance⁣ to a home final at Allianz Stadium next Saturday.

Despite initial nerves, England ⁣demonstrated ​their championship pedigree. Abbie Ward opened the scoring for the hosts, finishing a well-executed team move, before Ellie Kildunne‍ delivered a pivotal ​performance, breaking through ‌the French defense from over 40 metres out. Further ⁢tries from‌ Sadia Kabeya (tournament leading‍ tackler with 83 ​total) ‌and Meg⁢ Jones sealed⁣ the win, though a late attempt from Konde offered a glimmer ‌of hope for​ France.

Kildunne, despite a standout performance including two tries and 208 metres made, deflected⁣ individual praise.”The first thing I‌ said was I’ve stolen that from ‍the rest of the team. Hannah​ Botterman, Maud Muir, all the forwards, you ‍saw the⁢ defence they put in today. I barely had to make any tackles so I don’t know why I got⁤ it,” she said with a laugh, before ​adding, “I’m absolutely buzzing, this is all we’ve been ⁢dreaming of. We’ve got another week of training and we’ll keep our heads​ down. We‌ know ⁤what we’ve got coming.‍ I⁢ don’t even know what to say any more!” ‌She concluded with a plea to ‌supporters: “Thank you to all⁣ the support, thank you to⁢ my team. We’ve ⁣got a final to go to, we need you‌ there.”

England Head Coach John Mitchell anticipated a tough contest, dismissing pre-match predictions of a dominant performance. “I knew they were going to come at us.‍ You could tell through the events during the week and⁣ the emotion they ⁢shared in their warm-up,” Mitchell explained. “We just had to win, fight our way out of it.‌ To ‍get yourself out of a difficult performance ⁤like ⁣tonight is a credit to them. Defensively,in the middle⁤ of the field we were very good. there was some⁢ courage ⁢and a lot of heart shown there.”

France’s Head Coach ‌David Ortiz acknowledged England’s strength. “We knew ‍we could have a big ⁢fight⁣ against England,we knew we could have⁣ a ⁣big arm wrestle against them. In the‍ end they were very strong,” Ortiz said. “In the⁢ end when they pushed a little bit harder and when ​we let go ⁣a little‌ bit, that’s ‌what‌ made the difference.”

England’s defensive resilience proved crucial, exemplified by sadia Kabeya’s‍ 21 tackles in the match.

England will ​now face⁢ Canada, ranked No.2 ⁣in the world, in the final. France will compete for⁣ the bronze ⁤medal against defending champions‌ New​ zealand.

France Rely on Resilience, History to Challenge England‘s Rugby World Cup Dominance

Auckland, New Zealand – Former France international fullback Chloe tremouliere believes Les Bleues possess the mental fortitude and tactical keys to upset heavily favored England in saturday’s Rugby world Cup semi-final. Despite England’s commanding form throughout the tournament, Tremouliere points to France’s hard-fought quarter-final victory over ireland and a history of near misses for the Red Roses as reasons for optimism.

Tremouliere emphasized that France’s comeback win against Ireland – secured after a grueling 252 tackles – demonstrated a crucial resilience. “Against Ireland, they bent but didn’t break, they fought, and it paid off,” she said, highlighting a side that maintained possession for only 35% of the match. “I hope they use that. It’s fundamental, a solid positive base.” She also reminded observers of England’s vulnerability in past World Cups, recalling their losses despite dominant pool play. “England are riding a great wave,but remember at the last World Cup in New Zealand,they were putting 40 points on everyone before losing in the final. The same thing could happen.”

France’s path to the semi-final contrasted sharply with England’s dominant 40-8 victory over Scotland. Tremouliere believes this difference in challenge could ultimately benefit les Bleues. She also expressed confidence in the team’s ability to overcome the suspensions of co-captain Manae Feleu and flanker Axelle Berthoumieu,citing the potential for players like Pauline Bourdon-Sansus and Madoussou Fall-Raclot to step up.

This semi-final represents a significant opportunity for France, who have lost all eight previous Rugby World Cup semi-final appearances, including a narrow one-point defeat to New Zealand in 2021. Tremouliere believes reaching the final would cement a place in French rugby folklore. “Of course (they can), because it’s a chance for them to make history and reach a milestone no one has reached before,” she stated.

Dismissing the narrative of English invincibility,Tremouliere urged a shift in perspective. “Everywhere you read that England are unbeatable. It depends how you look at it. Sure, they seem unbeatable, but that’s no reason to think they’ll never be beaten. Instead, the question should be: what tools do we need to beat them?” She concluded, “It’s all about how you approach the challenge – finding the keys to turn it in your favour, not the opposite.”

The semi-final between France and England will kick off at 15:30 BST.

United States Reaches BJK cup Semifinals after Dramatic Doubles Victory Over Kazakhstan

SEVILLE, SPAIN -‍ The United States advanced‍ to the billie Jean King Cup semifinals on thursday, overcoming a resilient Kazakhstan team 2-1 in a quarterfinal ‍decided by a thrilling doubles match. The Americans,seeking their first title since 2017,secured their ⁢place in ‍the final four after a ⁤hard-fought battle at the La⁣ Cartuja Tennis Club.

The tie began with a captivating performance from Emma Navarro, who battled ‍back from a set down and saved two⁢ match points to defeat Yulia putintseva 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (6) in 2⁢ hours ​and 31 minutes. The world No. 18 dropped an early break but ultimately prevailed, winning four consecutive points in the tiebreak to⁢ claim the opening​ rubber.

Kazakhstan responded emphatically as former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina‌ leveled the tie with a dominant 6-4, 6-1 victory over Jessica Pegula. Rybakina raced to an early ​lead in both sets, showcasing her power ‍and precision to overcome the U.S. Open semi-finalist in just ​over an hour.

The decisive doubles rubber saw pegula partner with world No.⁢ 1 doubles player Taylor Townsend against Rybakina and Putintseva. The American duo started strongly, taking ⁢the first‌ set 6-2. Kazakhstan fought back in the second, leading 4-1 before Pegula ⁣and ‌Townsend mounted a comeback, saving two set points to force a tiebreak. The Americans then dominated the tiebreak, securing a ‍6-2, 7-6 (1)⁢ win and the semifinal berth.

The United States will now face the winner of the Great Britain-Japan quarterfinal, scheduled ​for later Thursday. Both nations are vying for their first BJK Cup title and are competing without their top-ranked players, Emma Raducanu (Britain) and Naomi ⁣Osaka (Japan). Katie boulter and Sonay Kartal ​lead Britain, while Moyuka Uchijima and ⁣Ena Shibahara front the Japanese team.

In other quarterfinal action, Italy and Ukraine advanced to ‍Friday’s semifinals with 2-0 wins over China and Spain, respectively. Five-time champion Italy and Ukraine are⁤ both seeking to add to their trophy collections.