Bolton Revels in Ton Glory
The Western Fury’s first-ever Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) centurion Nicole Bolton says she hopes her ton can be the first of many from the side following their confidence-boosting three weekend wins over the Cripps Tasmanian Roar at the WACA Ground.
The Subiaco-born 23-year old skipper, who is also an AFL SportsReady trainee, produced an exceptional knock of 121 in Saturday’s 50-over victory over the Roar, becoming the first Western Fury player to reach three figures in the competition.
“Everyone was saying it’s a record,” she said. “It’s the monkey off the back. Hopefully it’s not the last century. There are few others within the team who are capable of hitting that milestone.”
Bolton brought up her century with a trademark pull shot and celebrated by jumping into the air and pumping her fist. She insisted she was fairly relaxed in the 90s despite the impending milestone.
“I didn’t get too nervous in the 90s. I was happy that the shot to bring up the ton was a pull shot,” she said. “I thought if it’s in my zone I’ll go for it. I was fairly relaxed out there and comfortable with how we were going.”
The big score is a boost for Bolton’s ambitions to play for the Southern Stars but she insisted she needs to continue putting the runs on the board.
“I’ve said to myself, the longer I bat, the more opportunity I’ll get to score runs,” said Bolton, who also scored 17 and 29 in the two T20 matches over the weekend.
“With where I’m at with my cricket, I need to be scoring runs to push for selection.” The Fury skipper wasn’t alone in making runs over the weekend, with fellow opener Jenny Wallace scoring two half centuries, while new recruit Suzie Bates made scores of 57, 47 and 27 over the three games.
“It’s fantastic to see the top order cash in over the weekend. We can take that confidence into the second fixture against Victoria,” Bolton said.
Bolton was delighted with the influence of New Zealand national team captain Bates around the team, but also in the middle when batting alongside the big-hitting all-rounder.
“Just having someone like her, with the experience she brings, she makes it look so easy,” Bolton said. “When you’re batting with her you’re quite relaxed because the runs are ticking over and she knows what to do.”
The Fury skipper was also chuffed by the results which show the impact new coach Stephen Jenkin has made, with improvement to the team’s mantra. “He’s brought a lot of professionalism to the group,” she said. “He’s created an environment where everyone is improving and wanting to improve. He’s all about the processes and keeping a clear head.”
Bolton said Jenkin’s calming influence was in evidence when reflecting on Sunday’s T20 cliffhanger, where the Fury triumphed when Nicky Shaw and Chloe Piparo scrambled a leg bye off the final ball of the innings. “Sitting down on the sidelines, Steve was really relaxed, which made everyone else really relaxed,” she said. “He was never in doubt and backed the girls out there that they’d get the job done chasing down the runs.”
Next up for the Fury is the trip to Melbourne to face the Commonwealth Bank VicSpirit in a fortnight’s time.
15 October, 2012
Image: Courtesy of Cricket Australia
Article: Sourced from the Western Australian Cricket Association
