Kapp, Vlaeminck shine with new-ball; Scorchers secure crucial points

Bowlers dominated the day in Perth as the Scorchers registered their fifth victory in the seventh season of the Women’s Big Bash League with a five-wicket victory over Hobart Hurricanes on Sunday (November 7). Marizanne Kapp took four wickets, running through Hobart Hurricanes’ batting line-up. Tayla Vlameinck’s fightback with three wickets off the new ball was not enough for the visitors.



Taneale Peschel, playing her 50th match for the Scorchers, started the proceedings with the tidy first over giving only one run. In the very next over, some extra pace from Kapp knocked Hurricanes captain Rachel Priest’s leg stump for just a single as she offered no footwork. A ball later, Kapp sent Naomi Stalenberg packing, with an away swinger, for a golden duck as Heather Graham completed a simple catch at point.



Hurricanes struggled even more as left-hander Nicola Carey was trapped in front by Kapp, leaving Hurricanes at nine for three halfway through the powerplay. The carnage at the WACA continued as captain Sophie Devine took matters into her own hands after not bowling in three previous matches for the Scorchers by taking Richa Ghosh’s wicket for a duck.



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Hurricanes’ collapse continued as they lost Molly Strano and Mignon du Preez inside the powerplay. From a precarious position of 20 for six by the end of the first six overs, Johnston and Sasha Moloney revived the Hurricanes innings. Johnston was the aggressor in chief as she got off the mark with a lovely boundary against in-form Kapp.



The 18-year-old Johnston hit Devine and Alana King for sixes early in the innings. She was watchful of the good deliveries and punished the bad ones. Moloney, on the other hand, supported her partner with the well-made 15. The pair added 54 runs before being dismissed by Lilly Mills in back-to-back deliveries of the 16th over. In the last over of the innings, Mills dismissed Belinda Vakarewa to end the Hurricanes innings for 96 all out.



Vakarewa opened the bowling for Hurricanes hoping to put some early breaks on the Scorchers innings. Instead, she gave away 13 runs from her opening over. Desperate for an early breakthrough, Priest handed the ball to Vlaeminck, who broke the threatening opening partnership as Beth Mooney chopped onto the stumps. In Vlaeminck’s next over, Devine faced the delivery of the tournament so far from Valeminck only to see the top of the off-stump flying.



Chamari Atapattu and Chloe Piparo tried to rebuild the Scorchers innings. They took the home side beyond 50 only to see Atapattu being trapped in front by Vlaeminck for her third wicket. After some more wobble in the middle, Kapp (18*), batting at six, hit two back-to-back boundaries against Strano to reduce the target to a single digit and finished the game with five wickets in the shed.



Brief Score: 



Hobart Hurricanes: 96 all out in 20 overs (Ruth Johnston 38, Sasha Moloney 15; Marizanne Kapp 4/10) lost to Perth Scorchers 99/5 in 15.3 overs ( Chloe Piparo 29, Marizanne Kapp 18*; Tayla Vlaeminck 3/21) by five wickets.