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WBBL wrap: Lee's hundred leads Stars to victory

Melbourne Stars claim a breakthrough win, more heartbreak for the Renegades while the Strikers proved too good for the Heat in Mackay

Lee's century snaps Stars' losing streak

A stunning century from Lizelle Lee has propelled the Melbourne Stars to their first win of the Rebel WBBL season, defeating the Perth Scorches by 19 runs.

Lee’s unbeaten 103 from 65 deliveries carried her team to 3-155 at the WACA Ground, with Meg Lanning’s 40 in vain as the Scorchers finished on 6-135.

View the full scorecard HERE

For the second consecutive season, South African import Lee struck the first hundred of the tournament, clearing the boundary three times in an explosive knock.

The opener appeared to be batting on a different wicket to her teammates, with no other Star able to strike above 100.

In reply, Amy Jones (17) made an aggressive start before top-edging Holly Ferling, while captain Lanning couldn’t repeat her heroics from Friday night, stumped by teenage leg-spinner Madeline Penna for 40.

Lee powers her way to first century of WBBL|05

Penna, only playing for the Stars has a replacement player for the injured Alana King, picked up a second big-name scalp when Natalie Sciver holed out for 26, finishing with figures of 2-24.

In further bad news for the hosts, the Scorchers are likely to be without Piepa Cleary for the foreseeable future, with the pace bowler stretchered from the ground with a suspected broken ankle after a fielding mishap.

Strikers on top after dousing the Heat

Strikers douse the Heat in Mackay

Half-centuries from Suzie Bates and Bridget Patterson have seen the Adelaide Strikers continue their winning run, toppling defending champions Brisbane Heat by eight wickets in Mackay.

Set a target of 140 by the Heat in front of a vocal crowd, the Strikers were on the back foot in the second over as the hard-hitting Sophie Devine (1) fell to the bowling of Sammy-Jo Johnson.

View the full scorecard HERE

In-form allrounder Tahlia McGrath found the boundary five times before coming unstuck to Amelia Kerr’s wrong’un, bowled for a 16-ball 26.

But after Bridget Patterson joined captain Suzie Bates in the middle, the Heat were unable to make further inroads as the visitors reached their target with an over to spare.

Bates brilliantly steers the Strikers to victory

Bates finished unbeaten on 55 from 52, while Patterson scored her first half-century of the season with a 43-ball 57 not out.

The Strikers remain on top of the table with four wins from five matches, while the defending champions have just two wins from their first five.

Patterson powers a half-century in Mackay

Earlier, Beth Mooney’s outstanding start to the season continued as she struck her third half-century of the season.

Mooney put on 56 in 6.4 for the first wicket with Grace Harris before the latter holed out after hitting a run-a-ball 20.

Mooney's purple patch continues in Mackay

She anchored the Heat innings as wickets regularly fell at the other end; with the exception of Laura Harris’ 16 off nine, no other Brisbane batter reached double figures.

When Mooney’s 49-ball innings ended on 73, the Heat stumbled, losing their final three wickets for no runs to be bowled out for 139 in the final over.

The Strikers bowlers shared the spoils, led by Devine’s 2-21.

Perry edges Sixers home in another Gades' heartbreaker

Heartbreak again for Renegades in narrow loss

Melbourne Renegades’ tough start to the Rebel WBBL season has continued with another narrow defeat, this time at the hands of the Sydney Sixers.

After posting a below-par 8-120 at the WACA Ground, the Renegades’ bowlers fought hard to take the match to the final over only for a composed Ellyse Perry to seal a four-wicket victory with a ball to spare.

View the full scorecard HERE

Perry, dropped on five when Danni Wyatt put down a sitter, anchored her team’s chase with an unbeaten 45.

That result came hot off the heels of the Renegades’ final-ball loss to the Scorchers on Friday night and leaves them with just two wins from their first six matches.

The cheap dismissals of the in-form Alyssa Healy (11) and Ashleigh Gardner (0) ignited the Renegades’ hopes, but Dane van Niekerk’s 27-ball 30 kept the chase on track.

Duffin's defiant knock lifts Renegades

Late strikes from Maitlan Brown (2-18) and Molly Strano (1-24) took the game into the last over, but Perry – who found the boundary just three times in her 50-ball innings – timed the chase to perfection.

Earlier, the Renegades lost openers Sophie Molineux (4) and Wyatt (2) cheaply and while Tammy Beaumont and Courtney Webb came together to steady proceedings, they struggled to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

At 2-32 after 10 overs, Webb and Beaumont finally started to up the run rate and took 16 runs from the 13th over, only for the Sixers to hit back emphatically with three wickets in the space of three balls to start the 14th.

First Webb was run out, before Beaumont was bowled and Georgia Wareham trapped lbw from consecutive Marizanne Kapp deliveries.

Renegades captain Jess Duffin produced a critical 34no from 22 came as the wickets continued to fall at the other end, clearing the ropes twice to help her team to 8-120.

South African imports Kapp (2-21) and van Niekerk (2-15) led the wicket-taking as the Sixers picked up their third win from four matches to date.

Big wet scuppers Hurricanes, Thunder in Burnie

Persistent rain meant the covers were never even lifted in Burnie, in frustrating scenes for the Hobart Hurricanes and Sydney Thunder.

They split their points without a ball being bowled, but they'll be back for a second encounter on Sunday at 11am AEDT and, fingers crossed, the forecast is looking brighter.


To come on Sunday:

Hurricanes v Thunder, Burnie, 11am AEDT

Sixers v Stars, WACA Ground, 11am WST (2pm AEDT)

Heat v Strikers, Mackay, 2pm (3pm AEDT)

Sunday’s showdown between the Sixers and the Stars – featuring a host of Australian and international stars – will be shown live and free in HD on 7’s primary channel.

The action from Burnie and Mackay can be streamed live and free on cricket.com.au, the CA Live app, or the WBBL Facebook page, with a stream also available on Kayo.

And all the action can be heard on ABC radio!