States battle for finals place in last round of WNCL

The last round of the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) this weekend completes one of the closest seasons in history, with four of the five states still in contention for a place in the final on 17-19 January.

The Southern Scorpions (34 points) lead the competition table, but with a bye this weekend must wait for the outcome of the remaining matches to learn if they have secured their first finals berth since 1997-98.

Victoria Spirit (27 points), the New South Wales Blues Institute of Sport Blues (24) and Queensland Fire (19) face must-win matches to make the final and claim the chance to host the championship matches on 17-19 January.

The Western Fury, yet to win a match this season, cannot compete for the title this year, but can play a hand in determining the make-up of the final.

The Fury, though, face a battle to make history when they take on Julie Hayes' New South Wales Blues at Sydney University, having never beaten the reigning WNCL champions from 14 encounters.

Since the inception of the WNCL in 1996-97, New South Wales have claimed all six championship titles.

In the other finals-deciding match, Belinda Clark's Victoria Spirit hosts Queensland Fire at Geelong. The Spirit holds a 9-2 advantage over the Fire and has won the past seven encounters against the Queenslanders, including the most recent match at Allan Border Field last season.

For the first time in the WNCL, the team that finishes on top of the competition table at the completion of the qualifying rounds, wins the right to host the WNCL final.

The following points system applies for the WNCL:

A bonus point is awarded for any team that achieves victory with a run rate 1.25 times that of the opposition.

Follow the results of the WNCL matches on the Australian Cricket Board's official website, www.baggygreen.com.au