HARRIS TURNS UP FOR THE HEAT IN SYDNEY GLOOM
A SUPERB half-century from Grace Harris guided two-time defending champion the Brisbane Heat to a seven-wicket win over the Perth Scorchers with 18 balls to spare.
The threat of rain around North Sydney Oval threatened to disrupt the start of the Women’s Big Bash season, but it just about stayed away as the Heat’s quest for a three-peat began with a bang.
Brisbane won the toss and elected to field first, a decision that saw their former leading runscorer Beth Mooney open with her new partner Sophie Devine.
The new Scorchers pairing put on 55 runs for the first wicket. But it was a conservative start and once they fell — Devine for 26 off 27 and Mooney run out on 37 — the Scorchers failed to kick on.
A near-flawless performance in the field by the Heat, particularly from Georgia Prestwidge, put the brakes on the Scorchers. Although Amy Jones (25) and Nicole Bolton (25) tried to up the run rate the Scorchers could only reach 132.
Despite losing Maddy Green (6) early, the Heat kept up with the run rate, firstly with Jess Jonassen (21) and Georgia Redmayne (37no), then when Harris arrived.
Harris — sporting a shiner on her left eye after an accident with the golf simulator in the WBBL hub — took her time initially before breaking free of the shackles. Her half-century came off 35 balls, before she was dismissed for 53.
“I’m just really happy with where I’m at,” Harris said.
“I seem to be executing my game plans very well at the moment, just training very hard, so I’m loving it. It’s really good fun.”
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
Georgia Prestwidge pulled off a contender for catch of the season when her diving effort on the boundary dismissed Amy Jones. With Jones upping Perth’s run rate, it swung the game to Brisbane.
— CARLY ADNO
STRIKERS V HURRICANES
A SENSATIONAL all-round bowling performance followed by a boundary-filled innings by debutant South African Laura
Wolvaardt set up a clinical eightwicket win for the Adelaide Strikers over Hobart Hurricanes.
At Sydney’s Hurtsville Oval, the Hurricanes never looked in it: from being 2-2 at the end of the first over to being bowled out in the 17th over for a paltry 84.
Adelaide reached the target with six overs to spare.
— LIZ WALSH
RENEGADES V STARS
SYDNEY rain spoiled the Melbourne derby just when the match was set to be a cracker.
There were three overs to go in the Melbourne Stars innings, having been sent in to bat by cross-town rivals, the Renegades.
The Stars’ captain Meg Lanning was on an unbeaten 51 (50 balls) and her 53-run partnership with teenager Annabel
Sutherland had just ended when Renegades spinner Sophie Molineux had Sutherland stumped for 31 (23).
Then the rain became too heavy and the umpires stopped play with the total at 4/127.