Scorchers go top in WBBL, Sixers sink
Perth have snared a last-gasp win to take top spot in the WBBL, beating the hapless Melbourne Stars by four wickets.
At the other end of the table, the last-placed Sydney Sixers have slumped to the lowest score of the season as in-form Adelaide walloped them by eight wickets.
The Sixers were dismissed for 82 in 19.2 overs and the Strikers confirmed their finals berth when they cruised to 2-84 at Adelaide Oval on Saturday afternoon in only 10.2 overs.
The Scorchers and Strikers' wins also cemented the WBBL finalists, with the remaining games over this weekend to determine their finishing order.
Brisbane and the Melbourne Renegades, who are playing on Saturday night in Mackay, will also play in next week's semi-finals.
The Stars had plenty of chances earlier in the day and could have sent the match into a super over had Kim Garth run out Taneale Peschel on the last ball of the game.
But Garth's underarm throw from mid-off went wide as Peschel scrambled through, with the Scorchers reaching 6-123 in reply to Melbourne's 7-122.
The loss ended the Stars' slim finals hopes, while the Scorchers took top spot from the Renegades.
Saturday morning's game would have been a Perth walkover had it not been for Melbourne opener Elyse Villani, who belted nine fours and two sixes in her innings of 84 from 66 balls.
Incredibly, Villani was the only Stars player to reach double figures, while Heather Graham snared 3-16 from her four overs.
It is the WBBL's highest score with only one batter reaching double figures.
A superb piece of wicketkeeping from Nicole Faltum gave Melbourne a sniff when she stumped star opener Beth Mooney off Garth's medium-pace bowling for five.
Perth were stuttering at 4-69 in the 14th over, but Melbourne were left rueing some poor fielding in the late overs as Mathilda Carmichael's 30 and Marizanne Kapp's 29no steadied the Scorchers.
Linsey Smith's excellent bowling in the second-last over brought the Stars roaring back into the game as she removed Carmichael and only conceded just two runs.
Perth needed nine off the last over from Annabel Sutherland, but a four to Alana King and then Garth's missed chance sealed the result.
Sutherland was the pick of the Stars attack with 2-20 from four overs.
Sixers stars Alyssa Healy and Ashleigh Gardner made ducks as they crashed to 6-30.
The tailenders saved Sydney some blushes and Lauren Cheatle top-scored with 16 as Darcie Brown (2-25) and Sarah Coyte (3-12) shared the spoils.
Adelaide opener Dane van Niekerk mauled the Sixers attack with five fours and a six in her innings of 33 from 22 balls, ensuring it would be a quick run chase.
In Saturday's opening Mackay game, superb bowling from Belinda Vakarewa spearheaded the four-run win for the Hobart Hurricanes over the Sydney Thunder.
Vakarewa took 3-8 from her four overs as the Thunder scored 9-143 in reply to Hobart's 5-147.
Mignon du Preez top-scored for Hobart with an unbeaten 87 from 61 balls, featuring 11 fours and a six.
Opener Sammy-Jo Johnson led the Thunder innings with 39.
