Darke, Ainsworth help Perth heap pain on Canes

Teenage sensation Chloe Ainsworth and long-time WBBL run machine Beth Mooney have combined to steer the Perth Scorchers to a seven-wicket win over the Hobart Hurricanes at the WACA Ground.

Player-of-the-match Ainsworth's 3-24 was pivotal in the Hurricanes being bowled out for 158 on Wednesday night, before Mooney (52) and Maddy Darke (45no) raised victory for the Scorchers – their second against winless Hobart this season – with nine deliveries remaining.

After Laura Windfield-Hill succumbed for 29, opening partner Mooney, the Weber WBBL's all-time leading runscorer, brought up her record-extending 38th WBBL half-century from just 28 balls.

Mooney was dropped on six by Hurricanes captain Elyse Villani – a sitter – but when she was eventually castled by South African speedster Shabnim Ismail, Hobart smelt an upset before Perth captain Sophie Devine (23) upped the tempo in the power surge.

Darke, whose previous highest score in the competition was 13, played the innings of her life and fittingly hit the winning runs by clubbing Ismail for four.

Earlier, 18-year-old quick Ainsworth continued her dream first season by drawing further ahead on the wicket-taking leaderboard, moving to 10 poles at 10.71 from her three matches.

Villani (39), back after missing the Hurricanes' season opener with illness, was at her innovative best but otherwise the top-order crumbled again.

Ainsworth sent Heather Graham's middle stump cartwheeling before Piepa Cleary did the same to Molly Strano's off peg to reduce the 'Canes to 6-67.

Naomi Stalenberg (54) and Hayley Silver-Holmes (25) spared humiliation by adding 84 for the seventh wicket – the joint highest stand for that wicket in the tournament's history – before both fell to Ainsworth as the visitors lost 4-7 from the last 10 deliveries.

Spinners Amy Edgar (2-16) and Alana King (2-26) supported Ainsworth admirably.

Weber WBBL|09 Standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Total points PTS
1 Adelaide Strikers Women STR	14	11	3	0	0	1.154	0	22
2 Perth Scorchers Women SCO	14	8	6	0	0	0.784	0	16
3 Brisbane Heat Women HEA	14	8	6	0	0	0.203	0	16
4 Sydney Thunder Women THU	14	7	6	0	1	0.298	0	15
5 Sydney Sixers Women SIX	14	7	7	0	0	-0.253	0	14
6 Hobart Hurricanes Women HUR	14	6	7	0	1	-0.597	0	13
7 Melbourne Stars Women STA	14	6	8	0	0	-0.779	0	12
8 Melbourne Renegades Women REN	14	2	12	0	0	-0.978	0	4

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points

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