Ashton Turner may have just led a star-studded WA side to back-to-back Marsh Cups with a dominant victory over South Australia in Perth last night, but it was five-year-old daughter Billie who stole the show with a hilarious moment in the post-match presentation.
After Western Australia defended a record-equalling 7-387, bowling South Australia out for 206 with 18 overs to spare, Turner was all smiles as he accepted the Marsh One-Day Cup for a third time as captain.
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For Billie Turner, however, it mattered little that dad was on national television, and she took it as her moment to shine, joining him for the post-match interview and being completely taken by her own reflection in the Marsh Cup trophy.
But as his teammates gathered round for a celebratory photo, Turner ended up going to creative and somewhat brutal lengths to make sure the photographers and his teammates got the shot they wanted.
Vision of the moment shows Turner gently pushing Billie underneath the presentation table as the 30-year-old held aloft his second domestic title of the summer.
It’s no surprise Billie is enamoured with the one-day trophy, having started the season as Western Australia’s first registered cricket participant for 2022/23.
“She’s always loved cricket, because for her it’s an opportunity to hang out with other kids and throw a ball around,” Turner told the West Australian in October.
“When my wife found out she was old enough to sign up to the local cricket club, she asked her if she wanted to play cricket and Billie was pretty keen,” he said.
“The opportunities for girls are the best they’ve ever been.
“It’s not so much about the cricket (at early ages) but more about young boys and girls having a bit of fun and developing their social skills.”
Records tumbled at the WACA as Western Australia continued their limited-overs dominance as the most successful side in the history of the competition, winning their 16th title.
Featuring a side that featured 439 matches worth of international experience in the starting XI compared to South Australia’s two, Western Australia were always hot favourites heading into the final and Josh Inglis demonstrated why.
He slammed his maiden List A century, eventually reaching 138 off 110 balls alongside Cameron Bancroft’s 90 for a second-wicket partnership of 227, the sixth-highest ever in the one-day cup, and the highest for any wicket in a final.
Inglis’ innings was also the highest score in a domestic one-day final.
Recently returned from injury, Mitch Marsh also got in on the action, blasting the fastest half-century in a domestic one-day final off 27 balls to lift WA to their state record 50-over score.
Nathan McAndrew bore the brunt of the onslaught, finishing with 0-99 off nine overs, the worst bowling figures by a South Australian in domestic one-day history.
Ashton Agar, who prematurely returned from the Test tour of India in order to focus on domestic cricket, showed his white-ball credentials in the second innings, taking 5-64 to roll South Australia with overs to spare.
Coach Adam Voges’ sixth title (including the Big Bash) makes him WA’s most successful coach of the last 30 years, lifting him above previous coach Justin Langer.
Despite the one-day cup fading slowly into obscurity since the halcyon days of the mid-2000s and a double round-robin broadcast on free-to-air, about 2400 fans packed into the redeveloped WACA to watch the final.
Western Australia now turn their focus back to the red ball, with their spot in the final on March 23 already locked.
