- Bridget Patterson received assistance from the field after incident
- Deployed in the WBBL clash at North Sydney Oval on Tuesday
- Wicked rebound ensued for Adelaide Strikers goalkeeper
Adelaide Strikers coach Luke Williams says Bridget Patterson “escaped any serious injury” after the goalkeeper was forced to leave North Sydney Oval following a nasty incident when she was hit in the face by a fierce pitch from her teammate Darcie Brown who clocked 119 km/h on Tuesday. .
Patterson, 30, suffered a cut and bled after the ball bounced poorly in the fourth and went up abruptly, hitting her in the right eye.
She was carried off the field a few minutes later, and the WBBL franchise is hopeful she avoided any serious harm.
“It was a serious injury, so we’re all worried about her, but she seems to have escaped any serious injury.” “It was nasty at the time with the cut,” Williams said after the game.
The terrifying moment was the main topic of conversation after the match, as it is very rare for goalkeepers to be hit like that due to a wildly unpredictable rebound.
However, that should not detract from Adelaide’s brave 11-run victory as the defending champions avoided back-to-back defeats to start the new season.
They recovered from a horror start to score 171 thanks to Patterson’s team-high 44, while Amanda-Jade Wellington (40 off 16) provided the late fireworks as Orla Prendergast controlled the innings with an important 39.
“I think it was a really important phase in the game to be 3-22,” Williams said.
“Sometimes it can be easy not to score or go back into your shell, but I thought Bridget and Orla and then Amanda-Jade kept scoring and putting pressure on the bowlers, which when you’ve lost early wickets can be difficult to do.”
Adelaide Strikers’ Bridget Patterson reacts after being hit by a delivery from teammate Darcie Brown. Image: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
Goalkeeper Bridget Patterson was assisted from the field (pictured), and her coach Luke Williams later confirmed that she “escaped serious injury”.
Before the incident behind the stumps, Patterson (pictured) was the leading scorer with 44 for Adelaide.
“We showed a bit of bravery in doing that and we were very happy to score 171, which is about an even score here.”
Their bowlers then produced some decisive moments as the Sixers threatened to reach the target, with Megan Schutt conceding just five runs in the penultimate over to leave the hosts needing 14 off six deliveries.
It was almost fitting that Ellie Johnston, the woman who replaced Patterson, appeared on the final wicket as she removed the bails to stump Frankie Nicklin.
‘Ellie did a great job. “She was nominated as the 12th player, so she was probably preparing to come in as runner-up instead of runner-up,” her coach said.
“For her to be called upon at critical moments and with a bowling attack that creates opportunities at different times… she was in the game straight away and I was very proud of how she did.”
Brown also recovered from the terrifying moment to finish with 2/25 from her four overs, with the Australian striking quickly with her first delivery on a night in which she bowled lightning bolts from start to finish.
“I think it’s a really exciting thing that happened tonight with Darcie,” Williams said.
“She showed reasonable signs in her first game and seems very confident, and that confidence is growing.”
“We are very excited about what he will produce in this tournament.”
Injured star Alyssa Healy was at North Sydney Oval on Tuesday night and has a chance to play in the Sixers’ next game on Friday. Photo: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
Meanwhile, the Sixers could receive a big boost for Friday’s clash against the Melbourne Stars, with Alyssa Healy a ‘sneaky’ chance to return from the foot injury that prematurely ended her World Cup campaign.
Healy had a session on Tuesday and will have to convince the team’s medical staff that she is ready to go, with the veteran wicketkeeper telling Fox Cricket in pre-match coverage that her recovery is ahead of schedule.
“It’s actually progressing a lot faster than I thought, so Friday could be a sneaky day,” he said.
“We’ll have to wait and see how the rest of the week goes, but if I can line up here against the Stars on Friday night, I’ll be pretty happy.”