WBBL: Wareham powers Melbourne Renegades to a winning start
Georgia Wareham's all-round performance (3/12 & 16*) helped Melbourne Renegades to a winning start in the rain-marred opening encounter of WBBL 2025 against Brisbane Heat.
Put in to bat, Heat struggled for most parts of their innings. However, handy contributions by Nadine de Klerk (38-ball 40) and Chinelle Henry (22-ball 29), helped them post 133 before getting bundled out. Tess Flintoff and Alice Capsey chipped in with three wickets apiece.
A spell of rain soon after their innings ended ensured a delayed start to the run-chase. By the time Renegades batters walked out, the revised target was 66 runs in 8 overs. Lucy Hamilton and Sianna Ginger struck early on to reduce the visitors to 13 for 3 in 2 overs. However, Courtney Webb (22-ball 34*) and Wareham ensured there was no further struggle as they chased down the target with three balls to spare.
Brief Scores: Brisbane Heat 133 in 20 overs (Nadine de Klerk 40, Chenille Henry 29; Georgia Wareham 3-12, Alice Capsey 3-22) lost to Melbourne Renegades 66/3 in 7.3 overs (Courtney Web 34*, Georgia Wareham 16*; Sianna Ginger 2-16) by 7 wickets
Led by Danni-Wyatt Hodge's 52-ball 90 and Nicola Carey's unbeaten 58, Hobart Hurricanes registered a 6-wicket win over Sydney Thunder to kickstart their WBBL campaign. The duo put on a 143-run stand for the third wicket (in 81 balls) as Hurricanes chased down the 183-run target with three balls to spare.
Earlier in the day, put in to bat, Thunder posted a fairly strong total of 181 for 8 even as none of the batters made a strong contribution, even as each of the top six managed to get starts. If not for the 13 wides conceded by Hayley Silver-Holmes, Thunder would have found themselves in trouble as they managed to hit only five sixes in their innings.
Hurricanes were also in a bit of trouble, losing Lizelle Lee and Nat-Sciver Brunt cheaply early in the chase. However, Wyatt-Hodge managed to control the innings and kept the tempo high in the company of Carey before falling 10 short of her century to Samantha Bates in the 18th over. Even as the contest had slipped from Thunder's grasp by then, Shabnim Ismail struck again and allowed the game to head to the final over before the Hurricanes could cross the line at the Allan Border Field.
Brief Scores: Sydney Thunder 181/8 in 20 overs (Heather Knight 39, Chamari Athapaththu 32; Hayley Silver-Holmes 2-27, Heather Graham 2-33) lost to Hobart Hurricanes 182/4 in 19.3 overs (Danni Wyatt-Hodge 90, Nicola Carey 52*; Shabnim Ismail 2-22) by 6 wickets
Ash Gardner's stunning fifer on Sydney Sixers captaincy debut set up a convincing 10-wicket thrashing of Perth Scorchers in the third of the opening-day triple header, at the WACA on Sunday.
Scorchers opted to bat in the season opener at home, but kept losing wickets at regular intervals. The only meaningful stand they managed was worth 39 between Freya Kemp and Mikayla Hinkley, but collapses before and after never allowed them to mount a substantial target.
Gardner struck in the eight over to take out Sophie Devine and Paige Scholfield in successive balls, but the partnership for the fifth wicket caused some frustration. Once Ellyse Perry broke the stubborn stand, Scorchers couldn't really put up a fight. The Sixers' new captain ran through the Scorchers middle and lower order to register her tournament career-best of 5/15 and keep them to a modest 109.
Sophia Dunkley then smacked unbeaten 61 off 40, in a century partnership with Perry (47* off 37) to seal a commanding win with more than seven overs to spare. In her return-to-form knock, the English opener struck five maximums and four more boundaries before Perry completed the formalities with a hat-trick of boundaries in the 13th over for an early finish.
Brief scores: Perth Scorchers 109 all out in 19.3 overs (Mikayla Hinkley 31; Ash Gardner 5-15, Ellyse Perry 2-12) lost to Sydney Sixers 112/0 in 12.5 overs (Sohia Dunkey 61*, Ellyse Perry 47*) by 10 wickets
