A dominant bowling display from Sophie Devine and Alana King guided the Perth Scorchers to a hard-fought 15-run victory against the Melbourne Stars at Junction Oval on Monday, November 2. Tasked with defending a modest first-innings total of 124, the Scorchers dismantled the Stars’ lineup, dismissing the home side for 109 runs in 18.1 overs. Devine spearheaded the attack with figures of 4 for 19, while King provided crucial support by snatching 3 for 17. While the Stars sit fifth with one win from three outings, the victory took the Scorchers to second in the early-season standings with two wins from as many matches.
Middle-Order Collapse Threatens Perth’s Innings
After deciding to field first, Melbourne disciplined their bowling to keep the Scorchers under tight control. Openers Katie Mack and Beth Mooney got Perth off to a steady beginning with a 37-run partnership, but the middle order experienced a quick succession of losses. A sudden slide saw four wickets fall for just six runs, causing the visitors to drop to 76 for 7. Maisy Gibson (2-10), Sophie Day (2-17), and Charlotte Dean (2 wickets) led the bowling effort for the Stars. Late contributions from King (18 off 21 balls), Chloe Ainsworth (16), and Lilly Mills (13 not out) pushed the total past 120, assisted significantly by 21 extra runs conceded by Melbourne, including 17 wides. Who put on 37 for the opening wicket, but struggled to maintain that momentum, perth made a promising start through Katie Mack and Beth Mooney.
Melbourne’s Chase Stumbles Early
Melbourne’s pursuit hit immediate trouble when Rhys McKenna was dismissed by Ainsworth on the very first delivery of the innings. Devine capitalized on the momentum during the fourth over, removing both Amy Jones and Annabel Sutherland to reduce the Stars to 30 for 3. King extended the upper-order damage by removing Naomi Stalenberg, leaving former captain Meg Lanning to rebuild the chase.
Devine and King Seal the Defensive Victory
Lanning offered determined resistance, scoring 41 off 36 deliveries and building a 36-run fifth-wicket partnership alongside Dean to steady the innings. However, Devine broke the alliance by having Dean stumped for 13. When Amy Edgar subsequently dismissed Lanning, the Stars were left struggling at 79 for 6. Devine picked up her fourth victim by removing Danielle Gibson, before King swept through the tail end by sending back Kim Garth and Maisy Gibson. Melbourne collapsed from that point, losing their last five wickets for 30 runs.
- Perth Scorchers: 124/9 in 20 overs (Alana King 18; Maisy Gibson 2-10, Sophie Day 2-17)
- Melbourne Stars: 109 all out in 18.1 overs (Meg Lanning 41; Sophie Devine 4-19, Alana King 3-17)
- Result: Perth Scorchers won by 15 runs, moving to second place in the early WBBL standings.
