# 2017–18 Perth Scorchers WBBL season

The 2017–18 Perth Scorchers Women's season was the third in the team's history. Coached by Lisa Keightley and captained by Elyse Villani, the Scorchers ended the regular season of WBBL|03 in third place. They then defeated the Sydney Thunder by 27 runs in a semi-final at Optus Stadium to set up a re-match of the previous year's final against the Sydney Sixers. In the championship decider, held at Adelaide Oval, the Scorchers suffered a heavy nine-wicket loss to once again finish the tournament as runners-up.

## Squad

Each WBBL|03 squad featured 15 active players, with an allowance of up to five marquee signings including a maximum of three from overseas. Australian marquees were defined as players who made at least ten limited-overs appearances for the national team in the three years prior to the cut-off date (24 April 2017).
Personnel changes ahead of the season included:
* New Zealand marquee Suzie Bates departed the Scorchers, signing with the Adelaide Strikers.
* Meg Lanning signed with the Scorchers, departing the Melbourne Stars. However, due to a shoulder injury, Lanning would be unavailable for the entire season. New Zealand's Thamsyn Newton was subsequently signed as a marquee replacement player.
* Due to the departure of Bates (outgoing captain with a 9–7 win–loss record) and the unavailability of Lanning, Elyse Villani assumed the captaincy for the season.
* England marquee Nat Sciver signed with the Scorchers, departing the Melbourne Stars.
* Mikayla Hinkley signed with the Scorchers, departing the Sydney Thunder.
Changes made during the season included the signing of Taneale Peschel as a local replacement player. Peschel played two games in the absence of Katherine Brunt who was sidelined with a back injury.
The table below lists the Scorchers players and their key stats (including runs scored, batting strike rate, wickets taken, economy rate, catches and stumpings) for the season.
| No. | Name | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | G | R | SR | W | E | C | S | Notes |
| Batters ||||||||||||||
| 22 | Lauren Ebsary | (1983-03-15)15 March 1983 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 16 | 159 | 116.05 | – | – | 6 | – | |
| 1 | Mikayla Hinkley | (1998-05-01)1 May 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 5 | 11 | 73.33 | – | – | 3 | – | |
| 7 | Meg Lanning | (1992-03-25)25 March 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Australian marquee |
| 28 | Chloe Piparo | (1994-09-05)5 September 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | 2 | 2 | 40.00 | – | – | 0 | – | |
| 39 | Natalie Sciver | (1992-08-20)20 August 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast | 16 | 339 | 118.53 | 4 | 7.78 | 13 | – | Overseas marquee |
| 3 | Elyse Villani | (1989-10-06)6 October 1989 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 16 | 535 | 125.88 | 0 | 6.00 | 9 | – | Captain, Australian marquee |
| All-rounders ||||||||||||||
| 12 | Nicole Bolton | (1989-01-17)17 January 1989 | Left-handed | Right-arm off spin | 16 | 482 | 101.47 | 8 | 6.33 | 4 | – | Australian marquee |
| 5 | Mathilda Carmichael | (1994-04-04)4 April 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast | 6 | 40 | 95.23 | – | – | 2 | – | |
| 11 | Heather Graham | (1996-10-05)5 October 1996 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 15 | 136 | 89.47 | 14 | 6.96 | 4 | – | |
| | Ravina Oa | (1995-04-24)24 April 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Associate rookie |
| Wicket-keepers ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Megan Banting | (1996-02-11)11 February 1996 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 6 | 11 | 47.82 | – | – | 0 | – | |
| 33 | Emily Smith | (1995-01-09)9 January 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 16 | 0 | 0.00 | – | – | 2 | 3 | |
| Bowlers ||||||||||||||
| 26 | Katherine Brunt | (1985-07-02)2 July 1985 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | 14 | 104 | 83.87 | 23 | 4.83 | 4 | – | Overseas marquee |
| 8 | Piepa Cleary | (1996-07-17)17 July 1996 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast | 15 | 43 | 97.72 | 13 | 6.12 | 3 | – | |
| 16 | Katie-Jane Hartshorn | (1994-06-20)20 June 1994 | Right-handed | Left-arm wrist spin | 1 | – | – | 0 | 9.75 | 0 | – | |
| 2 | Emma King | (1992-03-25)25 March 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | 16 | 9 | 64.28 | 15 | 6.00 | 2 | – | |
| 79 | Thamsyn Newton | (1995-06-03)3 June 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast | 14 | 50 | 96.15 | 6 | 9.43 | 1 | – | Overseas marquee (replacement) |
| 6 | Taneale Peschel | 29 August 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast | 2 | – | – | 1 | 9.20 | 0 | – | Local replacement |

## Ladder

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
| 1 | Sydney Sixers (C) | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0.890 |
| 2 | Sydney Thunder | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0.684 |
| 3 | Perth Scorchers (RU) | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 0.266 |
| 4 | Adelaide Strikers | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 0.250 |
| 5 | Brisbane Heat | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0.147 |
| 6 | Melbourne Renegades | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 0.092 |
| 7 | Melbourne Stars | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 10 | −0.634 |
| 8 | Hobart Hurricanes | 14 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 4 | −1.733 |
* The top four teams qualified for the semi finals.

## Fixtures

All times are local time

### Regular season

* Match 4 10 December 2017 10:45 Scorecard
| Perth Scorchers 6/188 (20 overs) | v | Brisbane Heat 9/170 (20 overs) |
| Natalie Sciver 84 (46) Sammy-Jo Johnson 2/24 (4 overs) | | Delissa Kimmince 87* (54) Katherine Brunt 3/23 (4 overs) |
* Perth Scorchers won by 18 runs North Sydney Oval No. 2 Umpires: Ryan Nelson and David Shepard Player of the match: Natalie Sciver (Scorchers)
* Perth Scorchers won the toss and elected to bat
* Broadcast by Network Ten
* Match 7 12 December 2017 12:00 Scorecard
| Sydney Sixers 8/122 (20 overs) | v | Perth Scorchers 1/123 (18.2 overs) |
| Erin Burns 33 (25) Katherine Brunt, Emma King 2/19 (4 overs) | | Elyse Villani 74* (61) Sarah Aley 1/22 (4 overs) |
* Perth Scorchers won by 9 wickets (with 10 balls remaining) North Dalton Park, Wollongong Umpires: Ryan Nelson and Marc Nickl Player of the match: Elyse Villani (Scorchers)
* Perth Scorchers won the toss and elected to field
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 9 15 December 2017 14:00 Scorecard
| Perth Scorchers 7/112 (20 overs) | v | Brisbane Heat 4/116 (18.5 overs) |
| Katherine Brunt 29 (32) Delissa Kimmince 2/17 (4 overs) | | Kirby Short 50* (48) Katherine Brunt 2/17 (4 overs) |
* Brisbane Heat won by 6 wickets (with 7 balls remaining) Allan Border Field, Brisbane Umpires: Murray Branch and Steven Farrell Player of the match: Deandra Dottin (Heat)
* Perth Scorchers won the toss and elected to bat
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 17 26 December 2017 11:20 Scorecard
| Melbourne Stars 4/163 (20 overs) | v | Perth Scorchers 1/164 (18.3 overs) |
| Lizelle Lee 76 (62) Emma King 2/24 (4 overs) | | Elyse Villani 84* (53) Erin Osborne 1/24 (4 overs) |
* Perth Scorchers won by 9 wickets (with 9 balls remaining) WACA Ground, Perth Umpires: Ashlee Kovalevs and John Taylor Player of the match: Nicole Bolton (Scorchers)
* Perth Scorchers won the toss and elected to field
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Double header with Match 7 of the Men's BBL
* Match 18 27 December 2017 11:30 Scorecard
| Melbourne Stars 6/149 (20 overs) | v | Perth Scorchers 4/137 (20 overs) |
| Georgia Elwiss 25 (24) Katherine Brunt 2/13 (3 overs) | | Elyse Villani 72 (44) Alana King 1/11 (2 overs) |
* Melbourne Stars won by 12 runs WACA Ground, Perth Umpires: James Hewitt and John Taylor Player of the match: Elyse Villani (Scorchers)
* Melbourne Stars won the toss and elected to bat
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 20 30 December 2017 13:00 Scorecard
| Sydney Sixers 138 (19.5 overs) | v | Perth Scorchers 4/139 (18.5 overs) |
| Ellyse Perry 45 (47) Nicole Bolton 2/15 (3 overs) | | Elyse Villani 63 (43) Dane van Niekerk 2/24 (4 overs) |
* Perth Scorchers won by 6 wickets (with 7 balls remaining) Lilac Hill, Perth Umpires: John Taylor and Trent Steenholdt Player of the match: Nicole Bolton (Scorchers)
* Sydney Sixers won the toss and elected to bat
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 29 7 January 2018 10:00 Scorecard
| Sydney Thunder 6/145 (20 overs) | v | Perth Scorchers 6/144 (20 overs) |
| Rachel Priest 42 (32) Piepa Cleary 3/19 (3 overs) | | Nicole Bolton 71 (57) Rene Farrell 2/19 (4 overs) |
* Sydney Thunder won by 1 run Lilac Hill, Perth Umpires: A Kovalevs and Trent Steenholdt Player of the match: Rene Farrell (Thunder)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to bat
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 31 8 January 2018 13:30 Scorecard
| Sydney Thunder 4/134 (20 overs) | v | Perth Scorchers 2/136 (18.1 overs) |
| Alex Blackwell 81* (58) Katherine Brunt 1/13 (4 overs) | | Natalie Sciver 61* (50) Maisy Gibson 1/18 (4 overs) |
* Perth Scorchers won by 8 wickets (with 11 balls remaining) WACA Ground, Perth Umpires: James Hewitt and A Kovalevs Player of the match: Alex Blackwell (Thunder)
* Perth Scorchers won the toss and elected to field
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 34 13 January 2018 10:50 Scorecard
| Perth Scorchers 9/87 (16 overs) | v | Adelaide Strikers 4/88 (15.5 overs) |
| Heather Graham 19 (17) Tahlia McGrath 3/17 (3 overs) | | Suzie Bates 49* (47) Katherine Brunt 2/17 (4 overs) |
* Adelaide Strikers won by 6 wickets (with 1 ball remaining) Traeger Park, Alice Springs Umpires: Darren Close and Craig Thomas Player of the match: Tahlia McGrath (Strikers)
* Adelaide Strikers won the toss and elected to field
* Match reduced to 16 overs per side due to rain delay
* Broadcast by Network Ten
* Match 38 14 January 2018 16:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| Adelaide Strikers 7/107 (20 overs) | v | Perth Scorchers 76 (17.3 overs) |
| Tahlia McGrath 34 (28) Katherine Brunt 2/15 (4 overs) | | Nicole Bolton 30 (38) Alex Price 2/4 (1.3 overs) |
* Adelaide Strikers won by 31 runs Traeger Park, Alice Springs Umpires: Craig Thomas and Ben Treloar Player of the match: Tahlia McGrath (Strikers)
* Perth Scorchers won the toss and elected to field
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 44 20 January 2018 13:30 Scorecard
| Hobart Hurricanes 4/122 (20 overs) | v | Perth Scorchers 1/126 (16 overs) |
| Isobel Joyce 52* (47) Piepa Cleary 2/11 (3 overs) | | Elyse Villani 70* (48) Nicola Hancock 1/25 (4 overs) |
* Perth Scorchers won by 9 wickets (with 24 balls remaining) WACA Ground, Perth Umpires: J Paterson and Trent Steenholdt Player of the match: Elyse Villani (Scorchers)
* Perth Scorchers won the toss and elected to field
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 45 21 January 2018 14:00 Scorecard
| Hobart Hurricanes 7/130 (20 overs) | v | Perth Scorchers 4/134 (18.5 overs) |
| Georgia Redmayne 53 (49) Thamsyn Newton 1/7 (1 over) | | Nicole Bolton 60* (61) Katelyn Fryett 2/20 (4 overs) |
* Perth Scorchers won by 6 wickets (with 7 balls remaining) Lilac Hill Park, Perth Umpires: James Hewitt and J Paterson Player of the match: Nicole Bolton (Scorchers)
* Perth Scorchers won the toss and elected to field
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 51 27 January 2018 14:00 Scorecard
| Perth Scorchers 7/124 (20 overs) | v | Melbourne Renegades 6/125 (19.2 overs) |
| Lauren Ebsary 61* (44) Maitlan Brown 2/18 (4 overs) | | Sophie Molineux 62 (45) Emma King 2/14 (3 overs) |
* Melbourne Renegades won by 4 wickets (with 4 balls remaining) Camberwell Sports Ground, Melbourne Umpires: Andrew Crozier and Dale Ireland Player of the match: Sophie Molineux (Renegades)
* Melbourne Renegades won the toss and elected to field
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Match 54 28 January 2018 14:00 Scorecard
| Melbourne Renegades 9/112 (20 overs) | v | Perth Scorchers 6/113 (16.1 overs) |
| Emma Inglis 28 (19) Katherine Brunt 3/11 (4 overs) | | Natalie Sciver 39* (33) Georgia Wareham 3/19 (4 overs) |
* Perth Scorchers won by 4 wickets (with 23 balls remaining) Camberwell Sports Ground, Melbourne Umpires: Daryl Brigham and Andrew Crozier Player of the match: Katherine Brunt (Scorchers)
* Perth Scorchers won the toss and elected to field
* Streamed on cricket.com.au
* Former Australian player Kris Britt made her last WBBL appearance

### Knockout phase

* Semi-final 1 1 February 2018 12:10 Scorecard
| Perth Scorchers 2/148 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Thunder 8/121 (20 overs) |
| Natalie Sciver 38 (28) Stafanie Taylor 1/23 (4 overs) | | Fran Wilson 46 (28) Emma King 3/17 (4 overs) |
* Perth Scorchers won by 27 runs Optus Stadium, Perth Umpires: Geoff Joshua and Tony Wilds Player of the match: Emma King (Scorchers)
* Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
* Played as a double header with BBL semi-final 1
* Broadcast by Network Ten
* Final 4 February 2018 11:50 Scorecard
| Perth Scorchers 99 (20 overs) | v | Sydney Sixers 1/100 (15 overs) |
| Piepa Cleary 18* (14) Sarah Coyte 4/17 (3 overs) | | Alyssa Healy 41 (32) Emma King 1/26 |
* Sydney Sixers won by 9 wickets (with 30 balls remaining) Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Umpires: Greg Davidson and John Ward Player of the match: Sarah Coyte (Sixers)
* Perth Scorchers won the toss and elected to bat
* Sydney Sixers won their second WBBL title
* Played as a double header with BBL final
* Broadcast by Network Ten

## Statistics and awards

* Most runs: Elyse Villani – 535 (2nd in the league)
* Highest score in an innings: Elyse Villani – 84* (53) vs Melbourne Stars, 26 December 2017
* Most wickets: Katherine Brunt – 23 (equal 1st in the league)
* Best bowling figures in an innings: Katherine Brunt – 3/11 (4 overs) vs Melbourne Renegades, 28 January 2018
* Most catches (fielder): Nat Sciver – 13 (1st in the league)
* Player of the Match awards:
** Nicole Bolton, Elyse Villani – 3 each
** Katherine Brunt, Emma King, Nat Sciver – 1 each
* Scorchers Player of the Year: Katherine Brunt
* WBBL|03 Player of the Tournament: Elyse Villani (2nd)
* WBBL|03 Team of the Tournament: Nicole Bolton, Katherine Brunt, Elyse Villani