South Australia have suffered their first defeat of the WNCL season, with Western Australia captain Chloe Piparo hitting a match-winning hundred at Karen Rolton Oval
Match Report:
ScorecardPiparo's hundred heroics end SA's streak
Western Australia have snapped South Australia’s unbeaten start to the domestic one-day season, edging to a three-wicket win with 10 balls to spare at Karen Rolton Oval.
Chloe Piparo’s 104 from 112 deliveries – her first Women’s National Cricket League century since 2016 – laid the foundation for the successful chase of the Scorpions’ 4-259, despite a late fightback from the hosts.
Earlier, Bridget Patterson (102 from 121) and Courtney Webb (96no from 92) led the way with the bat for South Australia after they elected to bat first.
After losing opener Emma de Broughe (8) and Josie Dooley (26), Patterson and Webb came together in a 129-run third-wicket stand.
Patterson made the most of a life on 11 to bring up her seventh WNCL hundred from 118 balls.
But the opener was unlucky to be run-out at the non-strikers’ end shortly after reaching the milestone, as the ball deflected off bowler Zoe Britcliffe’s fingers onto the stumps.
Her dismissal sapped momentum from the Scorpions’ innings as Maddie Penna departed cheaply, but a late flurry from Webb, who took 12 off the final over to fall just short of a century, helped them set WA a target of 260.
WA openers Piparo and Maddy Darke (47) put on 99 for the first wicket in response and while Penna struck to deny the latter a fifty, Piparo found support from Mathilda Carmichael (30) and then Lisa Griffith (24) to reach triple figures.
Her dismissal on 104 triggered a fightback from the Scorpions, and direct hit run-outs courtesy of Penna and Patterson gave the hosts hope.
But rookie bowler Chloe Ainsworth held her nerve, hitting two boundaries in an unbeaten 13 to ice victory in the penultimate over.