BASH IS A BIG HIT
FAN-TASTIC OCCASION: P3 THRILLER AT CAZALYS:
A BLAZING century to Beth Mooney powered the Brisbane Heat to a three-wicket win over the table-topping Sydney Thunder at Cazalys on Saturday night.
In stunning fashion, the inform Southern Stars opener made the most of the entertaining, batter-friendly wicket as she whacked 102 off just 55 balls to help the Heat chase town a target of 7-171 with four balls to spare.
The player of the match smacked a whopping 14 fours and one six in her knock, which proved the difference between the two teams.
However, after striking her maiden WBBL century, Mooney was rather reserved in her celebration as she battled with the Far North’s steamy conditions.
“I’m a bit puffed, to be honest,” she said after the game.
“(The humidity’s) not for me – I don’t know how you live up here.”
Despite the challenging weather, she said the support from the Cairns crowd was “amazing”.
“Being a regional player, there’s nothing better than getting back into the country,” the Hervey Bay product said. “It’s been a pleasure playing here in regional Queensland and hopefully we’ll be back soon.”
Heat all-rounder Delissa Kimmince said visiting regional areas always provided a pleasant surprise.
“We understand our game’s growing, but when you come back to these areas you get a greater understanding and appreciation of just how many people turn out to your games and how many people are following them,” she said.
Kimmince shared the wicket-taking duties with SammyJo Johnson and Grace Harris, with the trio taking two wickets each as the Thunder rolled to 7-171 after 20 overs.
But it was Mooney’s unbeaten 102 with the bat that se- cured the win for the Heat in a WBBL showdown that went into the final over.
With 18 deliveries left, the Heat needed 25 runs to win.
It was Laura Harris who brought up the winning runs with a four in the 20th over, as the Heat finished with 7-172 for the three-wicket win.
For the Thunder, opening bat Rachael Haynes (57 off 51) and West Indies Twenty20 captain Stafanie Taylor (43 off 23) were in fine form.
The win moved the Heat to second place on the WBBL ladder, with a spot in the top four now secured.