Scorchers romp to an easy win after Nicole Bolton's heroics with the ball, Hurricanes- Heat match abandoned

Rain continued its dominance at the sixth edition of the Women’s Big Bash League curtailing the match at the Drummoyne Oval, but not before the Perth Scorchers opening pair Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney got the better of Melbourne Renegades by DLS method. But Hobart Hurricanes and Brisbane Heat had no such luck as multiple rain-interruptions at the Sydney Showground Stadium eventually ended the game with only 15.3 overs being possible on Saturday (October 31).



Perth Scorchers v Melbourne Renegades



Scorchers romped to an easy 18-run win (DLS method) in a rain-affected match after a clinical performance from the bowlers restricted the Renegades to a meagre total of 105 for 5 at the Drummoyne Oval in Sydney.



Put into bat by the Scorchers, Renegades were rocked early by opening bowlers Bolton and Devine taking out Lizelle Lee and Erin Fazackerley respectively inside first three overs. First Mooney and Devine combined to remove the dangerous Lee, then Fazackerley missed a full one from Bolton and was bowled for a duck. When Amy Satterthwaite mistimed one off Taneale Peschel to mid-on the Melbourne side found themselves reeling at 16 for 3 in 4.4 overs.



Courtney Webb joined Sophie Molineux as they tried to resurrect the innings with a partnership of 57 from 67 balls. It was tough going for the pair and they struggled to find boundaries as they tried to hold the fort on a pitch that seemed slow.



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Once Molineux was dismissed for a painstaking 41-ball 29 by Bolton, it looked like the Renegades might struggle to make it to the three-figure mark. But a 14-ball cameo from Georgia Wareham took them to 105 for 5 in their stipulated 20 overs.



Webb top-scored for the Renegades with 33, while Wareham remained unbeaten on 22. Bolton was the most successful bowler for the Scorchers, taking 3 for 13 from her four overs.



Chasing a modest score, Scorchers’ ace opening duo were eased into the chase by a struggling Courtney Neale as she bowled a nine-ball opening over giving away 12 runs. Devine got hold of the spinners Molineux and Wareham, first hitting the former for a six and then smashing two boundaries off the later. Mooney was looking her solid usual self at the other end.



It looked like the Perth-based side were cruising to a clinical when the opening pair brought up their fifty partnership in the eighth over. But when the score was on 62/0 in 9.5 overs, the heavens opened up and they were forced to leave the field.



With the rain making no more play possible, the Scorchers were declared as winners as they were ahead by 18 runs on the DLS method.







Hobart Hurricanes v Brisbane Heat



Chasing a DLS revised target of 106 from 11 overs, Hurricanes took the aggressive option of sending hard-hitting Chloe Tryon up the order with the wicket-keeper Rachel Priest. The pair peppered the leg-side in the powerplay after a good opening over from Georgia Prestwidge that went only for a couple of singles.



Tryon and Priest pulled and swept Jess Jonassen as the left-arm spinner tried to restrict them from making room to hit over the off-side. Hurricanes were on the ascendency when Tryon’s top-edged pull off Nicola Hancock went for a six.



The South African allrounder continued her assault in the next over smashing Delissa Kimmince down the ground for back-to-back four and six. The Brisbane side looked in disarray when Priest’s boundary through third-man took the Hurricanes score to 40 runs from four overs.



But rain had the last laugh s it started getting heavier and the umpires decided to go off again three deliveries into Amelia Kerr’s first over. No play was possible from there onwards leaving the Tasman based side with the feeling of being robbed of a win. Tryon remained unbeaten on 26 from 15 balls.



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Earlier put into bat, Heat got off to the worst possible start losing Georgia Redmayne for a duck in the second ball of the opening over by Belinda Vakarewa.



Joined by skipper Jonassen, Maddy Green played some delightful drives through and over cover and point region to take the Heat score to 37 for 1 at the end of the power play. Jonassen took her time to get settled scoring only 12 of her first 17 deliveries.



Once the power play was done, Jonassen picked up the pace hitting Brooke Hepburn for a couple of boundaries, the second of which brought up the fifty partnership between the two, after Green smashed a Hepburn full toss for six over deep mid-wicket.



Green was looking good for more when she skied a length-ball from Nicola Carey and was out caught and bowled for a 24-ball 33. Grace was just getting into her groove when the rain arrived and they were forced to leave the field. The long delay meant the team in teal’s innings ended at 80 for 2 from 11 overs. Jonassen remained not out on 29.



Brief Scores:



Melbourne Renegades 105 for 5 in 20 overs (Courtney Webb 33, Sophie Molineux 29; Nicole Bolton 3-13, Sophie Devine 1-7) lost to Perth Scorchers 62 for 0 in 9.5 overs (Sophie Devine 31*, Beth Mooney 23*) by 18 runs (DLS method). PoM: Sophie Devine.



Brisbane Heat 80 for 2 in 11 overs (Maddy Green 33, Jess Jonassen 29*; Nicola Carey 1-11) v Hobart Hurricanes 43 for 0 in 4.3 overs (Chloe Tryon 26*). Match abandoned due to rain.