Western Province Women beat Lions to claim historic third consecutive Pro20 title

The team from Newlands chased down a modest target to defeat the Lions Women with eight balls to spare, after restricting the Johannesburg-based outfit to 75-8 in their 20 overs.

Jenna Evans top-scored for the Lions with 22, while Neo Molefe and Sunette Viljoen-Louw each added 10 runs in a tough batting outing.

Tatum Le Roux (3-18), Caitlin Wyngaard (2-15) and Delmari Tucker (1-10) spearheaded the attack on the Lions.

In reply, Western Province were led by Oluhle Siyo (24), with Lara Goodall contributing 20, before Leah Jones finished unbeaten on 14 to guide the defending champions to victory.

The Lions' bowlers put up a spirited fight, led by skipper Raisibe Ntozakhe, who delivered a standout spell of 4-9 to keep the pressure on throughout the chase.

"I don’t think it has fully processed yet,” said Western Province skipper Leah Jones. "I was just really glad to see the winning hands go up.

"We made it tough for ourselves out there, but we always said it wasn't going to be easy.

"We wanted to stay on that cone and keep things tight. I don't think their batters were able to really get going, which made our job a bit easier. Credit must go to the bowlers today, they were outstanding."

While not among the wickets in the final, Jones praised Nosipho Vezi for her consistency throughout the competition, highlighting the depth and collective effort that powered Western Province to another title.

"Vezi didn't get wickets today, but she has been exceptional throughout the series. She's someone who hits her areas over and over again, and having a bowler like that in the team is invaluable," said Jones.