Healy blasts Sixers to victory over Gades

A REJUVENATED Alyssa Healy has blasted the Sydney Sixers to a comprehensive thirty-seven-run victory over the Melbourne Renegades in Ballarat and to the top of the WBBL points table.

Healy thumped three sixes in her 78 off 54 balls while fellow opener Suzie Bates crunched 66 off 47 to steer the Sixers to 3-188 at Eastern Oval on Sunday.

The bottom-placed Renegades stumbled badly early before recovering somewhat to post 9-151 in reply.

Healy, who entered the fixture with just 53 runs at 10.6 this season, combined with Bates for a match-winning 151-run first-wicket stand, before both fell to Renegades captain Sophie Molineux (2-38).

Bates was grassed twice before finally holing out to Shabnim Ismail on the deep midwicket boundary, before Molineux struck again two balls later, bowling Healy around her legs.

But Molineux’s double-strike failed to slow the Sixers, who plundered 36 off the last three overs, through Ash Gardner (17), Erin Burns (16no) and skipper Ellyse Perry (4no off one ball).

“It was nice to spend some time out there,” Healy said. “I’ve been waiting seven years to have a really good partnership with Suzie Bates.

“The fact we could do that today and get our team off to a good start was really pleasing. I’ve been praying to some sort of higher power for a bit of luck and I got it today.”

The Renegades’ unlikely pursuit of the imposing target started poorly when English spinner Sophie Ecclestone (2-18), the world’s No.1 T20 bowler, sent Hayley Matthews (0) and Courtney Webb (1) packing early.

When Lauren Cheatle (3-28) enticed Molineux (18) to Stella Campbell at mid-off, the hosts were reeling at 5-38, before a WBBL record sixth-wicket stand of 81 off 52 balls between Carly Leeson (52) and Rhiann O’Donnell (32) gave the Gades an unlikely sniff.

They were aided by a burst of shoddy bowling from the Sixers after the drinks break, with Stella Campbell sending down five straight wides to concede 22 off the 11th over and Perry carted for 24 off the 13th.

Perry made amends with a spectacular, high-leaping catch at cover to send O’Donnell packing, ending the Renegades’ resistance. Maitlan Brown (3-16) was the pick of the Sixers’ bowlers.

-STEVE BARRETT