Match Recap: Renegades defeat Scorchers

Match in Tweet: Grace Harris comes to the party with some big hitting to guide the Renegades to victory

The score: Perth Scorchers 7-131 (Graham 30) in 20 overs lost to Melbourne Renegades 5-132 (Wyatt 43, Harris 39*) in 18.1 overs by five wickets

The hero: We have been waiting for Southern Stars allrounder Grace Harris to cut loose all tournament and the Renegades star recruit finally came to the party at Camberwell Sports Ground. Her innings didn’t start well when she was involved in a terrible mix up that saw the well-set Danni Wyatt run out for 43 – but Harris put the smiles back on her teammates’ faces by smashing five fours and two sixes. Coming in with 36 needed from 24 balls, Harris went berserk smashing 39 from 17 balls to get the Renegades across the line. What made the knock even more special was the fact that Harris aggravated an on-going shoulder niggle while fielding and seemed to grimace every time she hit a boundary. 

The catch: The Scorchers had already dropped three catches in the field but Nicole Bolton changed their fortunes by taking an absolute screamer in the outfield.

The support cast: Promoted to No.3, Wyatt was orchestrating the run chase perfectly with 43 from 42 balls before she was run out in an unfortunate manner. But luckily for the England star, Harris’ sparkling finish ensured her innings didn't go to waste. Wyatt started in an emphatic manner by dispatching the fifth ball she faced to the ropes and from that moment on she was brilliant as she manipulated the field with some clever stroke play, hitting five boundaries. 

The consolation act: Heath Graham continues to be one of the emerging stars in the WBBL|02 with yet another powerful outing with the bat. Coming into bat at 2-19, Graham bided her time before unleashing some power strokes off the pacers and the spinners. Graham hit the ball over the top using her feet and pulled out the reverse and the conventional sweep to score 30 from 24 balls.

The Butter Fingers: Rachael Priest rode her luck in her innings of 20, with the Renegades skipper dropped not once but thrice. Scorchers fielders missed opportunities when Priest was on 1 and twice on the unlucky 13. The Scorchers finally managed to grab the opportunity on the fourth attempt thanks to Elyse Villani.

The next stop: The Scorchers have a short turnaround before they take on the Melbourne Stars at Toorak Park tomorrow, while the Renegades have a couple of days off to prepare for Saturday’s local derby against the Stars at Etihad Stadium.