Rene Farrell

In March 2002, Farrell was selected for New South Wales to play in the Under-17 interstate championships. She scored 26 runs at a batting average of 26.00 and took six wickets at a bowling average of 16.66. New South Wales won every match up until the final, where they collapsed for 60 to lose to Queensland. == Domestic debut ==

Despite the strong performances in her final year in age group state cricket, Farrell was unable to break into senior ranks until late in the 2006–07 season. She made her debut for New South Wales in a closely contested match against Western Australia, the sixth of eight qualifying matches in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL). After taking 1/19 from her six overs, she came to the crease in the closing stages of the match as New South Wales' tail struggled to reach the target of 134. Farrell was run out for two, but her state held their nerve to scrape home by two wickets. She was omitted for the penultimate match of the season before taking 0/13 from four overs in an eight-wicket win over South Australia. New South Wales, the defending champions placed second and qualified for the finals series hosted by Victoria. Farrell retained her position in the team and was a key player in the first match, taking 3/27 from her ten overs as the hosts were dismissed for 136. New South Wales struggled and Farrell came to the crease and scored one not out and was present when the winning runs were scored, sealing a one-wicket win. The rest of the series was not so dramatic. Farrell took one wicket in each of the two remaining matches; Victoria won the first by eight wickets and New South Wales won the deciding game by three wickets to retain their title. Farrell was not required to bat in this last match and ended the season with 3 runs at 1.50 and six wickets at 21.16. Farrell was rewarded at the end of the season with selection in the Australia Youth team to play against New Zealand A. She took a wicket in each of her two matches and ended with two wickets at 31.00 and 36 runs at 18.00. == International debut ==

During July in the Australian winter of 2007, a Rose Bowl series was held against New Zealand in the tropical northern city of Darwin. Farrell was selected for the senior national squad after only five senior domestic matches, as cover for the injured pair of Lisa Sthalekar and Clea Smith. After Australia had taken a 2–1 lead in the five-match series, Farrell was given her debut in the fourth match. She took 3/36 from nine overs, taking three middle-order wickets. She also completed a catch to help restrict the tourists to 9/196. Australia found the target difficult and won by three wickets and seal the series, sparing Farrell the need to bat on her debut. In the final match, Farrell batted for the first time, scoring three not out. She took 1/23 from five overs as New Zealand won by four wickets. Farrell had her first full WNCL season in 2007–08, playing in all eight of New South Wales' matches. After taking only one wicket in the first four matches, she took six wickets in the last four round-robin matches, with best figures of 2/9 against Queensland. New South Wales won all but their final match to qualify first and host the final against South Australia. Persistent rain forced the abandonment of the match and New South Wales retained their title on account of placing first in the round-robin phase. Farrell took eight wickets at 19.25 at the high economy rate of 4.52 and scored 16 runs at 8.00. In two Twenty20 matches, she took three wickets at 8.66 at and economy rate of 5.20 and was not required to bat as New South Wales won both games. Farrell was dropped from the Australian team after these performances in the WNCL and missed the home series against England and the Rose Bowl in New Zealand at the end of the season. Instead, she played for Australia's Under-21 team in three matches against England and the senior Australian team ahead of their international series. Farrell took five wickets at 17.00 at an economy rate of 4.20 and scored 33 runs at 33.00. In the first match against England, she took 3/22 in a 52-run win, and in the second match she scored an unbeaten 30 as the Australian Under-21s were dismissed for 174 to cede a 75-run loss. At the start of the 2008–09 season, Farrell was also left out of the home series against India. For the new WNCL season Farrell moved to Western Australia, and her batting improved markedly after her transfer. In her first match for her new state, Farrell hit an unbeaten 29 to steer them to a four-wicket win over South Australia. In the penultimate match of the season, she hit an unbeaten 59 in a tied match against Queensland. Farrell ended the season with 172 runs at 34.40 from eight matches, an average superior to many specialist batsmen. Her bowling remained steady, never taking more than two wickets in a match. She ended the WNCL with nine wickets at 27.33 at an economy rate of 3.48. Western Australia won only two of their eight matches and did not make the final. In two T20 matches, Farrell scored 21 in her only innings and took one wicket at 40.00 at an economy rate of 8.00. == 2009 World Cup and World Twenty20 ==

Farrell was recalled to the Australian team for the Rose Bowl series in New Zealand in February and the 2009 World Cup held in New South Wales and Canberra the following month. Farrell played in the first and third matches against New Zealand, taking 3/26 in the first match as the hosts scraped home by two wickets. She was expensive in the next match, taking 1/35 from five overs in a heavy defeat, ending the series with 20 runs at 20.00 and four wickets at 15.25 and an economy rate of 4.69. Farrell was selected for Australia's team for the inaugural Women's World Twenty20 held in England in 2009. The Australians hosted New Zealand for a three-match series in tropical Darwin at the beginning of June before the World Cup, and Farrell showed good form taking five wickets at 9.80 at an economy rate of only 4.45, with a best of 3/13 from four overs in the first match. == County stint in England ==

At the end of the tour of England, Farrell stayed on for a period to play for Nottinghamshire. During this stint she was successful mainly as a batsman. Before making her debut for the county, she struck 123 for Ransome & Marles against Warrington. In her debut for Nottinghamshire in the one-day competition, Farrell scored 129, contributing more than 70% of her team's 179 as wickets fell around her regularly. She took 1/20 from her 10 overs but it was not enough to prevent a six-wicket defeat at the hands of Sussex. In her third match, she took 4/20 and scored 26 in a six-wicket win over Somerset. In the next match, she was attacked by the Kent batsmen, taking 1/69 from 10 overs. She responded by scoring 122 herself, but Nottinghamshire fell 15 runs short of Kent's 6/256. In her seventh and final match for the county, she hit 80 in a 23-run win over Surrey. In total, Farrell scored 413 runs at 59.00 and took seven wickets at 25.28 at an economy rate of 3.21. The WNCL was expanded in 2009–10 with the addition of the ACT, so ten round-robin matches were scheduled, and Farrell played in all, scoring 171 runs at 17.10. Her top-score of 52 came in a 127-run defeat at the hands of New South Wales. She also had her most prolific season with the ball taking 18 wickets at 21.44 and an economy rate of 4.42. After taking four wickets in the first four matches, she took 3/32 and 2/33 against the Australian Capital Territory, but then wen wicketless in two matches against her native state, conceding almost five runs per over in heavy defeats by 127 runs and ten wickets. In the last two matches of the season, Farrell's performance peaked. She took 5/57 from her ten overs and completed three catches to help bowl out Queensland for 213, setting up a three-wicket win, and the next day, she took 4/27 and a catch to help seal a 138-run win. Western Australia won only four of their ten matches and did not make the final. Farrell had a successful time in the domestic T20s, now part of a full interstate tournament, scoring 99 runs at 19.80 and taking five wickets at 19.00 at an economy rate of 4.75. Her best score of 38 came in a win over the Australian Capital Territory and her best bowling of 3/11 came against Tasmania. Western Australia did not make the final. In the 2010 Rose Bowl series, Farrell played in each of the five ODIs during the Australian leg of the competition. She took one wicket in each of the matches and made ducks in both of her innings. She ended the ODIs with five wickets at 21.60 and an economy rate of 3.25 as Australia won all five matches. The ODIs were followed by five T20 internationals, three at Bellerive Oval in Hobart and the last two in New Zealand. Farrell played in all but the fourth T20 game, taking five wickets at 17.80 and an economy rate of 6.35 and she batted twice, scoring two runs at 2.00. New Zealand won all five T20s and Farrell was left out of the three ODIs on New Zealand soil. == 2010 World Twenty20 triumph ==

Farrell was selected for the 2010 World Twenty20 in the West Indies and played in every match of Australia's unbeaten campaign. In the first warm-up match, she bowled two overs late in the innings, taking 0/15, and did not bat as Australia lost to New Zealand by 18 runs. A Super Over eventuated, and Laura Marsh bowled for England. A strong hitter, Farrell was sent in with Leah Poulton. Farrell scored two runs from two balls, hitting a single from each delivery she faced. Poulton fell on the fourth ball and Alyssa Healy was run out on the sixth and final ball of Australia's Super Over while attempting a second run, leaving them at 2/6. England also ended with 2/6 after a run out in an attempt to secure the winning run on the final ball. Australia was awarded the match because they had hit more sixes in the match—Jess Cameron scored the solitary six. In the next match against South Africa, Farrell came in at 7/151. She lasted two balls before being run out for one late in the innings. Her dismissal was part of a sudden collapse as Australia lost 6/16 including the last four wickets for four runs to be all out for 155 with three balls unused. She took 0/20 from her four overs and caught Dane van Niekerk from the last ball of the match as Australia completed a 22-run win. In a low-scoring match, Farrell was the most expensive of the Australian bowlers. Australia were in the ascendancy for most of the run-chase and New Zealand needed 24 runs from the last 8 balls, but Sophie Devine hit a four and a six from the last two balls of the 19th over bowled by Farrell to leave New Zealand requiring 14 runs from the last over. However, they managed only 10 and Australia won by three runs. ==2015 Ashes==

In June 2015, she was named as one of Australia's touring party for the 2015 Women's Ashes in England.{{cite web ==References==