Lanning hits form for Stars, Gades clear on top

Clutch Carey gets Hurricanes home in Perth

Nicola Carey came up clutch as Hobart Hurricanes held on to claim a thrilling two-run victory over Perth Scorchers at the WACA Ground.

The Scorchers lower order needed seven runs from the final over to reel in the Hurricanes' 8-137, but ice-cold Carey held them to just four runs to seal her team's third win of the season and keep their hopes of making the top four alive.

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Her 2-17 from four overs was critical in defending what seemed a below-par total, but it was Belinda Vakarewa and Molly Strano who claimed the huge scalps of Beth Mooney (1) and Sophie Devine (25) inside the powerplay to put the pressure on the Scorchers' middle-order.

Sri Lanka star Chamari Athapaththu (33 off 31) loomed as the key for the home side, but also fell victim to Vakarewa (2-23), before Carey trapped Heather Graham lbw for 24.

Alana King (12no) had hopes of seeing her team home but struggled to regain the strike in the final over; she only faced the final ball of the game with a six needed for victory and could not pull off the big strike required.

Earlier, Hurricanes captain Rachel Priest (54 from 48) batted through the ongoing pain of a broken finger to score a crucial half-century.

Priest has played on in WBBL|07 despite injuring the digit after copping an awkward blow on the keeping gloves from fast bowling teammate Tayla Vlaeminck early in the tournament.

The Kiwi had to stop to compose herself several times during her 48-ball innings, but it did not stop her from hitting five fours and three sixes.

Hers was the standout knock in an innings where the second highest score was Mignon du Preez's 23, with spinners King (2-20) and Lilly Mills (2-27) the standouts with the ball for the Scorchers.

The sides will meet in a rematch on Sunday.

Lanning finds form as Stars thump Strikers  

Melbourne Star skipper Meg Lanning found her batting form, notching up her first WBBL|07 half-century before Rhys McKenna and Linsey Smith led their side to a 37-run win over the Adelaide Strikers.

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Alongside Lanning, McKenna (2-3) and Smith (2-19 and three catches), Tess Flintoff (2-12) was also key as the Stars pushed themselves into finals contention, while the Strikers stumbled to a fourth consecutive defeat.

Despite early economical efforts with the ball from allrounder Dane van Niekerk (2-15), Megan Schutt (1-20) and a last gasp effort with the bat from Katie Mack with 14 not out, the Strikers were unable to click into second gear.

After a rain delay reduced the game to 14 overs each, the Strikers were on the front foot early with ball in hand, with young quick Darcie Brown keeping the Stars quiet, restricting the Stars to just 21 runs in the powerplay.

But the experienced partnership between Elyse Villani and Meg Lanning settled, and before the captain took off finding the rope three consecutive times in the eighth over.

Villani didn’t last long after, caught and bowled by Amanda-Jade Wellington, ending their opening stand on 63 runs.

Lanning notched up her 26th WBBL half-century in the ninth over, off just 30 balls, silencing the critics after a slow start to her WBBL|07 campaign.

Young allrounder Annabel Sutherland (1) and English import Maia Bouchier (11) could not come to their captain’s aid, with Brown and van Niekerk removing them cheaply.

Lanning was eventually dismissed for a season-high 82 runs off 45 balls, helping the Stars to 4-126.

Strikers openers Van Niekerk and Laura Wolvaardt made a promising start, putting on 20 runs from the first 17 balls including four boundaries, before Lanning stood up again, hanging on to a catch at mid-off to dismiss the dangerous Wolvaardt (14 off 9).

Van Niekerk survived two dropped catches, costing the Stars 14 runs off 18 balls, but they did not make the same mistake with Tahlia McGrath, with Lanning holding another catch to dismiss her fir eight.

Three deliveries later, van Niekerk’s luck ran out, dismissed off a Flintoff fast ball, giving the Stars teenager two wickets in the sixth over.

Bridget Patterson (6) and Maddie Penna (9) were removed by 17-year-old McKenna in just her fourth match, leading the Stars to their fourth win and keeping their finals hopes alive.

The Stars face off in the Melbourne Derby against the Renegades tomorrow, while the Strikers search for their third win against the Thunder next week.

Renegades go clear on top after WBBL run fest

Melbourne Renegades have prevailed in a high-scoring top-of-the-table clash against Brisbane Heat, with a run fest from their international stars paving the way to a 15-run win.

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Jemimah Rodrigues (52 from 31), Eve Jones (62 from 46) and Harmanpreet Kaur (65 from 32) led the Renegades to 4-207 – the second highest total in WBBL history behind the Sydney Sixers' 4-242 in WBBL|03 – before Laura Kimmince's 21-ball 42 was not enough in reply, with the Heat finishing on 192 all out.

Their combined 399 runs on a good batting wicket at Karen Rolton Oval made it the highest scoring WBBL match in history, just eclipsing the 398 runs scored in a clash between the Stars and Sixers in 2017.

Jones and Rodrigues made a blazing start, putting on 101 runs for the first wicket before Heat skipper Jess Jonassen finally found the first breakthrough in the 10th over when she trapped the India opener lbw.

No.3 Courtney Webb (7) was the only batter to miss out, while Kaur picked up where her compatriot left off, clearing the boundary six times on her way to 65.

Ellie Falconer handed the Renegades a dream start with the ball when she had Georgia Redmayne caught for two, and Rhiann O'Donnell's first wicket for the club saw the dangerous Grace Harris caught behind for 23.

Georgia Voll's speedy 40 from 28 balls kept the Heat in touch, and Kimmince's fireworks provided hope they may pull off a remarkable chase, but she was run out on 42, caught out not grounding when she should have made it safely home.

The best efforts of Charli Knott (15 off 10), Nadine de Klerk (15 off 6) and Nicola Hancock (21 off 9) were not enough, as the Heat were bowled out for 192 on the final ball of the innings.

It was the Renegades' less-heralded bowlers who found the most success with the ball, with Falconer bagging 4-29 and O'Donnell taking 2-25.

The Renegades, who have consolidated their position on the top of the table, will meet Melbourne Stars on Sunday, while the Heat will look to bounce back from consecutive losses against Sydney Thunder.