Cricket: Drumm winner at third shot

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Emily Drumm kept looking at the medal she had so proudly hung around her neck as she and her New Zealand team-mates celebrated their stunning four-run win over Australia in the women's World Cup cricket final.

Drumm was just checking that her medal this time proclaimed her side "winners" not the "runners-up" that she and so many of her fellow White Ferns had been handed after the previous two finals.

"I wore it all night," said 26-year-old Drumm, who admitted the players enjoyed themselves in the aftermath of the nailbiting victory at Lincoln's BIL Oval in Christchurch on Saturday.

"We had a bit of fun that's for sure. Did we ever!"

After scoring 184 in 48.4 overs after choosing to bat first in the final of the CricInfo-sponsored event, New Zealand were always going to have to battle.

Battle they did, eventually dismissing the defending champions for 180 on the first ball of the last over.

While there were many defining points during the final, Drumm singled out Helen Watson's side-on throw to run out Karen Rolton as perhaps the most significant.

"Coming when it did was a real boost, but there was still a long way to go. I reckon the game was won and lost about 10 times.

"We knew that defending only 184 was never going to be easy," Drumm said. "We had to bowl and field better than we had done at any time during the tournament."

The problems, she said, started even before the team took the field.

"We had real problems selecting the XI. We debated whether we should go for an allrounder or a true batsman. In the end we took what we felt was the safety option in going for Helen Watson, but I must admit when we were struggling at the top of our batting order I was having second thoughts."

Watson, batting at No 7, scored 11, but made her mark by running out Rolton and later Therese McGregor, who with captain Belinda Clark had added 35 for the seventh wicket as the Australians mounted a charge that threatened to extinguish New Zealand's hopes.

McGregor (19) and top-scorer Clark (91) were the only Australians to get beyond 15 in face of some tight bowling and tigerish New Zealand fielding.

Clark, Drumm admitted, was a real problem.

"Once we had made that breakthrough at the top of their order we obviously wanted to keep her away from the strike as much as possible. But she is so quick between the wickets, we struggled to restrict her to singles."

Australia recovered from a disastrous start to reach 85 for two, just 100 short of their winning target.

"They needed just 69 from 90 deliveries at one stage and I thought we would struggle," Drumm said. "But when we got Clark and then bowled a few maidens to get it back to a run-a-ball, I thought we might have a chance."

Then it came down to that last over and Drumm's only miscalculation.

"I looked at the scoreboard, did a quick calculation and thought Clare Nicholson had bowled her 10 overs.

"I had all kinds of thoughts racing through my head, but Catherine Campbell told me Clare still had one to bowl. That's what a vice-captain is for. We then had a talk with Debbie Hockley, who thought Haidee Tiffen should bowl the last over.

"In the end I thought we had a better chance of defending five runs from a slow rather than medium-pace bowler," Drumm said. "But when Charmaine Mason slashed at her first delivery, I had visions of the ball racing away for four and the game being over.

"Amazingly, Rebecca [Rolls, the wicketkeeper] grabbed the catch. It was great."

The Australian coach, John Harmer, made a plea for the abolition of decisions by the third umpire.

Cathryn Fitzpatrick was bowled by Kathryn Ramel after the leg bail was dislodged. It was unnoticed initially.

The players appealed, the matter was referred to the camera by on-field umpires Dave Quested (New Zealand) and Peter Parker (Australia), and Fitzpatrick was given the red light.

Harmer said it was about time sport was put back into the game. "You take whatever comes out on the field. It's getting ridiculous to use cameras for bowling decisions."