WBBL wrap: Stars roll on as Canes shock Sixers

Melbourne Stars beat the Sydney Thunder by eight wickets with 19 balls remaining

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The Melbourne Stars have proved why they are the clear Rebel WBBL title favourites, cruising to an eight-wicket win over the second-ranked Sydney Thunder at Showground Stadium.

England star Natalie Sciver backed up her 2-24 and stunning catch with an unbeaten 36 from 31 deliveries, steering the Stars to their target of 132 with 19 balls to spare in partnership with South Africa's Mignon du Preez, who struck a brilliant 37-ball 57.

Earlier, Elyse Villani had made an aggressive start to the Stars chase before she was bowled by speedster Shabnim Ismail.

With the league celebrating NAIDOC week with the First Nations Festival of Cricket, it was fitting that one of the Thunder's two Indigenous players Hannah Darlington claimed the key wicket of Stars captain Meg Lanning (14) with a superb yorker.

However, the Thunder attack made no further inroads as the Stars moved five points clear on top of the table.

After the Stars elected to chase, Katherine Brunt (2-19) castled Sammy-Jo Johnson (7) before removing her England captain Heather Knight (0) courtesy of a brilliant catch from Erin Osborne, to give her team a dream start.

Tammy Beaumont struggled to get moving before her compatriot Natalie Sciver reeled in a one-handed screamer to send her on her way for a 27-ball 14.

From 3-61, Thunder captain Rachael Haynes set about the rebuild, putting on 47 for the fourth wicket with teenage teammate Phoebe Litchfield (29no) and bringing up a half-century from 47 balls.

After she was dismissed for 51 from the final ball of the 18th over, Rachel Trenaman's speedy 18 off seven gave the Thunder late momentum to reach 5-131.

Hobart Hurricanes beat the Sydney Sixers by nine wickets with 11 balls remaining

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Rachel Priest and Hayley Matthews have powered the Hobart Hurricanes to an upset nine-wicket victory over the Sydney Sixers at the Showground Stadium.

New Zealand import Priest's stunning unbeaten 63-ball 92 saw the Hurricanes chase down their target of 140 with 11 balls to spare, aided by Matthews' 41 not out.

Priest was on the front foot early in the chase, hitting two boundaries from Marizanne Kapp's opening over, and when her opening partner Naomi Stalenberg was run out in the third over, West Indian Matthews joined her in the middle.

The pair laid the foundation before launching in the 15th over, putting Ashleigh Gardner and Sarah Aley to the sword as Priest reached her half-century from 41 deliveries.

Searching for an answer with the Hurricanes requiring 27 from the last four overs, Perry threw the ball to her primary weapon in Kapp.

The over proved decisive, but not in the way the Sixers hoped; Priest hitting consecutive boundaries before Matthews cleared the rope and finished the over with another boundary, leaving just eight runs required from the final 18 balls.

Fittingly, Priest hit the winning runs with her 17th boundary, consigning the Sixers to a third consecutive defeat.

Earlier, Perry's unbeaten 72 off 68 was the only significant hand for the Sixers as big guns Alyssa Healy (7) and Ashleigh Gardner (6) again failed to fire, with the latter dismissed by 15-year-old leg-spinner Amy Smith for the second time this season.

Erin Burns provided a handy cameo of 28 from 18, but the Hurricanes bowlers, led by Smith's 2-22, restricted their star-studded rivals to 4-139.

Perth Scorchers beat Melbourne Renegades by nine wickets with 31 balls remaining

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by Laura Jolly at the Sydney Showground Stadium

The Perth Scorchers have romped to a third successive victory to strengthen their position in the Rebel WBBL top four, hammering the hapless Melbourne Renegades by nine wickets at the Sydney Showground Stadium.

After an impressive bowling display from the Scorchers kept the Renegades to 3-122 despite captain Amy Satterthwaite's unbeaten 48, Sophie Devine hammered 77 not out from 54 deliveries to see her side home with 5.1 overs to spare.

Sophie Molineux gave the Renegades faint hope of defending their below-par total when she dismissed in-from Scorchers opener Beth Mooney for nine, but the Renegades were left to rue a dropped chance that handed Devine a life on 36.

She cleared the boundary three times, becoming the first player to score 100 WBBL sixes in the process, aided by Chloe Piparo's unbeaten 29-ball 33.

The Scorchers now have four wins, three losses and two washouts with five regular season matches remaining, while the Renegades remain on the bottom of the table.

Earlier, Taneale Peschel struck an early blow for the Scorchers when Carly Leeson holed out on two after the Renegades were sent into bat.

Molineux was joined by captain Satterthwaite, with the latter given a second chance on 15 in unusual circumstances.

Satterthwaite had all but walked off the ground after being cleaned bowled by Piepa Cleary, but then the third umpire asked for a closer look at the bowler's back foot and after some consideration, determined it was a back-foot no ball.

While she remained at the crease, the Renegades pair struggled to find the boundary or lift the run rate above a run a ball.

Molineux's departure for 39 from 38 deliveries brought the explosive Lizelle Lee to the crease, but her poor tournament with the bat continued, trapped lbw for a run-a-ball 12.

The Renegades sought a late surge but it never came, with just two boundaries scored from the last five overs as Satterthwaite finished unbeaten on 48 from 56.

Adelaide Strikers lost to Brisbane Heat by 14 runs

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A cracking Laura Kimmince cameo inspired the Brisbane Heat to a 14-run win over the Adelaide Strikers to keep their hopes of a Rebel WBBL three-peat alive.

Kimmince smashed a breath-taking 41 from 17 balls to lift the Heat to 7-136, a total too much for the Strikers who finished the run chase on 7-122 on a spicy wicket at Drummoyne Oval.

Adelaide allrounder Tahlia McGrath was stoic in defeat with 52 but the defensive bowling of Brisbane was far too disciplined as off-spinner Grace Harris cashed in late to pick up 4-16. 

The crucial win lifts the two-time defending champions Heat over the Strikers on the WBBL|06 ladder to sit in fifth place on eight points and just one win outside the top four.

But a Heat win was hard to envision early on as the Strikers dominated with the ball, reducing Brisbane to 5-71 after winning the toss.

That's when the Kimmince carnage began. The right-hander hammered four fours and three monster sixes, with her first six from the bowling of Sarah Coyte sent over the pavilion and out of the ground.

The rampage ended when she top-edged an audacious reverse sweep against Australia spearhead and Strikers captain Megan Schutt, but the damage was done.

Leg-spinner Amanda Jade Wellington finished with 4-24 from her four overs on wicket that had deliveries leaping off a length from the first ball.

Heat captain Jess Jonassen wore a brute of a ball from quick Darcie Brown on the shoulder while a handful of other deliveries dramatically misbehaved.

The Strikers kept wickets in hand during their pursuit but could not find the boundary as the Heat kept it tight.

The loss of opener Katie Mack and overseas import Laura Wolvaardt in the space of an over left the Strikers reeling at 2-62 in the 12th over.

By the time Harris had the ball in the 18th, Adelaide needed 29 runs off 12 balls and the off-spinner was the beneficiary of the Strikers' batters holing out to pick up three wickets and seal the match.

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