Tigers thrash reigning champions in Hobart

Tasmania have continued their unbeaten start to the domestic 50-over season, cruising to a nine-wicket win over reigning champions Western Australia in Hobart.

After Belinda Vakarewa (2-22) and Nicola Carey (2-33) helped restrict WA's batters to 8-170 from their 50 overs, unbeaten half-centuries from Tigers captain Sasha Moloney and Carey saw the hosts home in just 31.3 overs.

It meant Tasmania picked up a bonus point to strengthen their position at the top of the table, with three wins from as many matches.

Tigers opener Rachel Priest (33 off 33) was the only wicket to fall during the chase, trapped lbw by SA debutante Alana King, who moved west from Victoria during the off-season.

She finished with figures of 1-20 from five overs, the most economical of the WA bowlers after new-ball pair Taneale Peschel (0-25 off five) and Piepa Cleary (0-36 from four) were targeted early by Priest and Moloney.

Moloney found the boundary six times in her unbeaten 77 from 101 balls faced, while Carey continued her impressive form with the bat, scoring a snappy 50 not out from 56, backing up the century she scored in Canberra to start the season.

Earlier, Vakarewa did her chances of keeping her spot in Australia's limited-overs squad no harm when she leaked just 22 runs from her 10 overs, while picking up the key wicket of WA opener Nicole Bolton for three.

Working well in tandem with fellow pace bowler Heather Graham - who moved to Tasmania from WA during the winter - the Tigers new-ball pair restricted WA to 1-15 from their first 10 overs.

While Piparo hung in to anchor the innings, grinding out a fighting 50 from 92 balls before being bowled by Graham in the 34th over, she found little support from the top and middle order.

Cleary's unbeaten cameo of 42 from 52 after coming in at No.7 lifted WA to a respectable total, but one that proved no where near enough.

The teams will meet at the same venue on Friday.