Elyse Villani could hardly have scripted it better. The 36-year-old skipper signed off from the Women’s Big Bash League on Saturday night with an eight-wicket win that handed Hobart Hurricanes their first title and, in the process, completed the club’s men’s-and-women’s double.
A shade over 5,000 turned up at Bellerive Oval, most of them aware this might be Villani’s last outing. As soon as the winning runs were struck she made it official. “It’s a fairytale ending and in elite sport it’s very rare to have that,” she said. “I was 80% sure this was the way it was going to go to retire after the game, but as soon as we won, I knew this was the moment.”
Perth Scorchers, her old side, set 137 for 5 after being sent in. It always felt light. Lizelle Lee slapped an unbeaten 77 from 44 balls – ten fours, four sixes, very little fuss – and the chase was wrapped up with 14 deliveries to spare. “I play a high-risk game. Sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn’t. I don’t think it has sunk in yet,” Lee said afterwards, broad grin firmly in place.
Hobart had finished bottom three times in five seasons before Villani arrived in 2022-23. The squad, with Lee at the top, Heather Graham back in purple and Molly Strano whirling away in the middle overs, lost only twice this campaign. Villani reckons the secret was simple enough. “Sometimes you can have a really good list and feel the pressure of that list,” she said. “But what this group has done really well is that at different points in the season different people performed.”
The captain’s own numbers were modest – 222 runs at just under a run-a-ball – yet her influence was obvious. She intends to keep playing 50-over cricket for Tasmania while stepping into an off-field role at the Hurricanes. “Cricket has been something that has been a big part of my life and something I’ll miss a lot but at the same time you can’t sort of live this dream forever,” she said.
Scorchers coach Becky Grundy did not hide her disappointment. “We would have taken this at the start of the tournament, to be in a final. Unfortunately not to be. They outplayed us,” she admitted. Perth, champions two years ago, will regroup, likely without major surgery.
Lee noted the symmetry of the moment. Mitch Owen’s century on this ground last summer delivered the men’s title; her innings has matched it. “They’ve won it and they’ve set an example. It was great to do the same,” she said.
For Villani, who played in each of the league’s 11 seasons and finished runner-up three times, there was nothing left to chase. One final handshake, a lap of honour, and a medal that felt worth the wait.
