Written in the stars
India broke their duck when they beat South Africa by 52 runs to lift the Cricket World Cup in front of 45,000 adoring home fans in Mumbai earlier this week.
It is a victory that will have a wide-reaching impact on the women’s game for years to come, but there was a pretty special story bubbling below.
Young Shafali Verma was left out of the Indian side for the tournament, and was not named as a reserve, but injury meant the 21-year-old was recalled for the playoffs.
Verma - who grew up disguising herself as a boy to play local cricket in Haryana - grasped the chance with both hands and made sure she will never be left behind again.
She top-scored with 87 and picked up two wickets against South Africa to be crowned player of the final.
Everyone loves a comeback story and Verma is a great case of perseverance paying off.
Calling the shots
Speaking of the ODI World Cup, women dominated the calls at the tournament with a full female team of 14 umpires and four match officials.
It is believed to be the first time an all-female team has controlled the 50-over World Cup after the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and two recent women’s T20 World Cups featured all-female match officials.
"This marks a defining moment in the journey of women's cricket, one that we hope will pave the way for many more trailblazing stories across all facets of the sport," ICC president Jay Shah said.
Giddy up
Jamie Melham has proved yet again - girls can do anything.
The South Australian became the first female jockey to complete the Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double after riding to a famous victory in Melbourne on Tuesday. Melham became the second female jockey to win the prestigious event behind Michelle Payne. Coincidentally, the win comes 10 years after Payne won the 2015 Melbourne Cup.
"It’s such a chauvinistic sport, a lot of the owners wanted to kick me off. Every one else can get stuffed [who] think women aren’t good enough," Payne said in 2015.
The trailblazer was on hand to see Melham’s historic victory and was reduced to tears.
"It’s just the most incredible feeling and for Jamie, who deserves it, is just couldn’t be better," Payne said.
"The times are changing. She has been a revelation for racing.
"We see so many young girls coming into our industry and to think that she’s taken home the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double is just so fitting because she is such an athlete."
Melham embraced Payne shortly after, telling her "I almost rode it as good as you rode yours".
More proof that when women support and believe in each other, anything can happen.
Netball chaos
What more is there to say about the shock removal and reinstatement of Silver Ferns coach Noeline Taurua?
Taurua was stood down for the South Africa series and the Constellation Cup, but was reinstated before the final two games against Australia. Interim coach Yvette McCausland-Durie will continue for the remainder of the year, Taurua returning next year before the Commonwealth Games.
It is fair to say Netball New Zealand’s handling of the situation has been poor at best. The public outcry also piled on to the tender situation. The whole fiasco has been embarrassing for the sport and in a year when netball has already been under fire, NNZ could ill afford to lose further public support.
Only time will tell how deep the damage is.
Numbers don’t lie
A report in the United Kingdom shows females made up 44% of the Euros and 43% of the Rugby World Cup audiences, a record this year for each women’s tournament that only rose during the finals.
The total viewing hours for women’s sport from January to September reached 357 million hours, passing previous records from 2023.
Women want to watch women. Put them on the TV.
