Australia v England
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide: 21st – 24th December 1984
To the Adelaide Oval for the second Test where the England captain Jan Southgate won the toss and chose to bat. Australia had a new Test captain in Raelee Thompson following the injury to Sharon Tredrea in the Perth Test.
Thompson and her reformed pace attack rattled the England team for just 91 runs. Karen Price took 4-22, Jen Jacobs 2-6 and the new skipper took 2-16.
The Australian top order came out with guns blazing and no-one more so than newly appointed vice captain, Denise Emerson, who scored a cracking 121.
Peta Verco and Lyn Fullston each scored 29, but the middle order fell away rapidly, with ducks to Jill Kennare and Jacobs. Useful lower order runs to Price and Fellows before the tail scored zero. The final insult, Thompson scoring a duck in her first innings as skipper. However, more importantly, the team total was 262, a whopping 171 runs in front.
England rallied in the second innings and turned the tables with most of the team getting to double figures or more, Chris Watmough and June Edney each scoring half centuries, with a total of 296, however leaving Australia a small target to chase of just 126.
“The Adelaide wicket is usually a very good batting wicket and England did bat better in their 2nd innings. During the England 2nd innings I also hurt my right shoulder and the thought did cross my mind to pull out of the next Test, but I wasn’t giving up now. I would keep bowling til my arm dropped off.” – Thompson
Where England had improved in the second innings, the Australian innings was a disaster. At one stage they were 5/6. Verco and Emerson made two and one, respectively, while Kennare, Fellows and Jacobs were each out for a duck. Kennare had the distinction of scoring a pair.
Karen Price led a counter attack and was assisted by the careful concentration of Lyn Fullston. The two put on 67 runs before Price took one too many risks and was caught by Carole Hodges from the bowling of Avril Starling. Fullston finally fell for 28 when the score was 96. It brought the skipper to the crease to try and guide the team home. Thompson was no mug with the bat. She scored 13 valuable runs however it was not enough. Australia’s last wicket fell, short of the target by just 5 runs. After such an excellent start to the Test, the loss was felt deeply.
“At 8/96 when I went in to bat, I was determined to stay there til we got the runs. However, I was “sucked in” by a Gill McConway slower ball and snicked it to slip. I shall never forgive myself for that lapse in concentration and to say I was disappointed at losing is an understatement. However, I do remember telling Sylvia Faram, the AWCC president, that we would win the series.” – Thompson
England 91 (Price 4/22, Jacobs 2/6, Thompson 2/16) and 296 (Watmough 70, Edney 50, Hodges 44, Fullston 4/96, Wilson 3/45, Thompson 2/19) defeated Australia 262 (Emerson 121, Price 39, McConway 4/32, Brittin 2/15) and 120 (Price 51, Starling 5/36, McConway 3/35) by 5 runs