Beth Mooney scorched her way to an unbeaten century, scoring 101 runs off 63 balls. (Image: cricket.com.au)
Beth Mooney made her WBBL second century, her first as a part of the Perth Scorchers, leading the way alongside Sophie Devine as the Scorchers got back on the winning list.
After winning the bat flip and electing to bat, openers Mooney and Devine got off to a flyer, continually dispatching the Renegades’ bowlers deliveries to the boundary rope.
Going through the powerplay at a run rate of around 10 runs per over, the Scorchers raced to 0/63 off their first six overs. It wasn’t without a few scares, as in the sixth over Mooney and Devine were dropped off consecutive balls.
Cruising through the middle overs of their batting innings, Devine and Mooney continued to punish the Renegades’ bowlers piercing the gaps in the field. The pair looked unfazed, not needing to take risks due to their fast start, playing shots through the lightning quick WACA outfield.
When the dangerous Devine hit consecutive sixes off the bowling of Carly Leeson in the 13th over, the Scorchers looked like they’d set a total above 200.
However, Devine (72 runs off 49 balls) departed a couple of overs later off the bowling of Courtney Webb, ending a 165 run opening stand. The third-highest in WBBL history, only a week after notching the second highest partnership in WBBL in Launceston against the Thunder.
Heather Graham (seven off five) would follow shortly, edging to Sophie Molineux off the bowling of Harmanpreet Kaur after continuing the search for quick runs.
Despite the loss of two wickets, Beth Mooney continued the flow of ends, making a century off the second last ball of the Scorchers’ batting innings.
Mooney’s innings consisted of 13 boundaries, she ended the batting innings with 101 runs off 63 balls pushing the Scorchers’ total to 2/194 off their 20 overs.
Speaking post-match, Mooney acknowledged she was lucky her innings didn’t end early.
“I was pretty lucky today but that’s what happens in T20 [cricket], you’ve got to ride your luck, there are days when it doesn’t go your way and fortunately for me today it went my way,” she said.
“I thought Soph [Sophie Devine] and I built a great partnership at the start and [that] got us on the way to a big total.”
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Off-spinner Lilly Mills was the chief destroyer with the ball, collecting career-best WBBL figures 4/25 off her three overs as the Renegades’ innings never got any momentum chasing the big total. This was despite solid contributions from Courtney Webb (46 runs off 34 balls), Jess Duffin (23 off 22), and Sophie Molineux, who made a rapid-fire 31 runs off 18 balls.
The Renegades finished 40 runs short of the required target, finishing 6/154 at the end of their 20 overs.
Both formerly part of the Brisbane Heat, Mooney said it was pleasing to see Mills produce some outstanding results.
“It was tough for her [Lilly Mills] at Brisbane [Heat] and Queensland, she’s got some frontline spinners ahead of her,” she said.
“For someone like her to be sitting on the sidelines there, while it was disappointing for her it’s certainly an opportunity that the Perth Scorchers wanted to take up and we’re just really pleased she took the bone we threw her.”
Unfortunately for Mills, she was unable to secure a five-wicket haul as she didn’t get to bowl the last over of the match, something Mooney said that “was a stuff up” from her and captain Sophie Devine, having thought she already bowled her maximum four overs.
Mooney said it was good to get a win against the ladder leaders.
“I think the back half of the season is the most important part [of the season], people don’t remember what you did at the start of the competition, they remember what you’re capable [of] towards the backend,” she said.
“To come up and win against the Renegades, who have been the most consistent team this tournament was really pleasing.
“We’ll take a lot of confidence moving forward to Saturday and Sunday.”
The Scorchers will remain in Perth for their weekend fixtures, a double-header against the Hobart Hurricanes respectively on Saturday and Sunday at the WACA
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