The ACT Meteors have kept their Women's National Cricket League finals hopes alive with a thrilling two-wicket win against the Western Fury in Melbourne on Saturday.
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Wicket-keeper Rebecca Maher (15 off 36) and fast bowler Nicole Goodwin (20 off 31 balls) combined for a gutsy ninth-wicket partnership to drag the Meteors to victory with four balls to spare.
In a rain-reduced game of 43 overs per side, the Meteors bowled the Fury out for 161 in the 40th over before finishing on 8-166 to record their second win from four games this season.
Opening batter Katie Mack laid the platform for the Meteors with 38 from 66 balls, while New Zealand international Lea Tahuhu (3-31) put in a splendid bowling performance in her final game with the team.
Tahuhu and batter Sara McGlashan will miss the final two games of the competition with international committments for the White Ferns.
Meteors coach Andrew Dawson said he was always confident Maher and Goodwin could get the team across the line when they slumped to 107-7.
"We always had faith in Bec's and Nic's abilities to keep on fighting because the wicket wasn't bad and there was no scoreboard pressure," Dawson said.
"They showed a lot of character and fight and kept on going.
"From the group's perspective, they have bonded really well and surviving a game they had a good arm-wrestle in is a big boost."
The Meteors suffered an early double blow in the run chase when Claire Koski (17) and captain Kris Britt (duck) fell cheaply.
McGlashan and Mack rebuilt the innings with a partnership of 48 before McGlashan was bowled for 24.
That sparked a mini collapse as the Meteors needed 55 runs to win with only three wickets in hand before Southern Stars all-rounder Erin Osborne and Rebecca Maher steadied the ship.
Osborne was caught and bowled for 26 to leave the Meteors at 8-131.
The Meteors now turn their attention to Sunday's game against South Australia, with Kira Churchland and Sara Hungerford coming in for Tahuhu and McGlashan.
"Both Kira and Sara have been pretty good performers for us over the past few years," Dawson said.
"It's typical for some ACT sides, we'll just keep on fighting as much as we can."
WNCL: ACT Meteors 8-166 (Katie Mack 38) bt Western Fury 161 (Lea Tahuhu 3-31, Angela Reakes 2-22, Sam Bates 2-23, Erin Osborne 2-30) at Camberwell Oval on Saturday.
