Brisbane Heat cruised to their third consecutive win, beating the Melbourne Stars at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Thursday (November 12). Chasing 166 to win, an unbeaten 105-run partnership between skipper Georgia Redmayne and Orla Prendergast took the Heat over the line with seven balls to spare.

Opting to bat first, the Stars’ openers led the way with a 108-run stand. Skipper Meg Lanning made 52 before she was dismissed by Sarah Glenn in the 14th over while Amy Jones carried on to score 74 before falling to Sianna Ginger in the 19th. A quickfire eight-ball 20 from Georgia Prestwidge powered the Stars towards the death but there were no other substantial contributions barring the opening stand.

Heat suffered an early setback, losing Grace Harris in the second over but a 47-run partnership between Charli Knott and Redmayne kept them on track. Knott fell to Annabel Sutherland in the seventh over, bringing Prendergast to the crease. There was little respite for the Stars thereafter as both batters attacked. Redmayne and Prendergast struck 18 fours and a six in between them and finished 74 not-out and 52 not-out respectively as the Heat claimed an eight-wicket win.

Brief Scores: Melbourne Stars 165/5 in 20 overs (Amy Jones 74, Meg Lanning 52; Sianna Ginger 2-22) lost to Brisbane Heat 166/2 in 18.5 overs (Georgia Redmayne 74, Orla Prendergast 52; Annabel Sutherland 1-32) by 8 wickets

The Sydney Sixers extended their unbeaten streak to five while handing the Melbourne Renegades their third loss of the season at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Thursday (November 12). Melie Kerr’s fifty pushed the Sixers to 140 before a three-wicket haul from skipper Ashleigh Gardner helped them secure an 11-run win.

The Sixers were off to a slow start after opting to bat first. Sophia Dunkley and Gardner were unable to convert their starts while Ellyse Perry struggled to get going at the other end. The acceleration came through Kerr who struck seven boundaries in her 34-ball 53. She shared a 55-run stand with Perry who continued to struggle before eventually being dismissed for a 41-ball 30. The Sixers lost a flurry of wickets at the death to end up with 140/6.

In response, the Renegades too struggled at the outset and were reduced to 22 for 3 in the fifth over. Sophie Molineux and Nicole Faltum attempted a rebuild with a 37-run stand but fell in quick succession to leave their side on 63 for 5 in the 12th over. Tess Flintoff kept the Renegades’ hopes alive and dominated the scoring during her 60-run partnership with Georgia Wareham. She was eventually dismissed for 44 off 31 in the 19th over and the Renegades, needing 18 runs to win off the last over, capitulated by losing four wickets to end up getting bowled out for 129.

Brief Scores: Sydney Sixers 140/6 in 20 overs (Melie Kerr 53, Ellyse Perry 30; Milly Illingworth 2-24) beat Melbourne Renegades 129 in 20 overs (Tess Flintoff 44, Nicole Faltum 21; Ashleigh Gardner 3-13) by 11 runs.