Perth Scorchers Weber WBBL|10 campaign came to an end last Saturday night, following a three-wicket defeat to Hobart Hurricanes at the WACA Ground. The loss saw them finish the shortened season out of the Finals places.
WBBL|10 Review: A season of missed opportunities
With lofty expectations, the Scorchers came into the season with high hopes and got off to a strong start, with three wins from their first four matches.
From there, a string of inconsistent results hampered the Scorchers’ chances of making it to the pointy end of the season.
Despite not making the WBBL Finals, there were still plenty of highlights and moments to celebrate this season.
Alana King, Beth Mooney and Chloe Ainsworth were rewarded for their brilliant form during Weber WBBL|10, by earning selection in the 12-player Team of the Tournament, which recognises on-field excellence.
King was selected in the Team of the Tournament for the second time in her career after a standout campaign which produced a career-best 20 wickets at 13.30 from ten matches to finish as the competition’s leading wicket-taker.
Her season was remarkably consistent, claiming multiple wickets six times during the competition.
A Player-of-the-Match effort against Brisbane Heat at the WACA Ground was her crowning moment, with the regular Australian international producing the best figures of WBBL|10 in the thrilling victory.
She finished with 5-16 off her four overs, including taking the last three Heat wickets in the space of four balls to guide the Scorchers home.
King finished as Player of the Match on three separate occasions overall, highlighting her impact as the leader of a young Scorchers bowling attack.
Mooney was selected in the Team of the Tournament for a sixth straight time, with the compact left-hander finishing the regular season as the second leading run-scorer in the competition with 386 at 38.60, compiling three half-centuries in ten innings.
Her class and composure at the crease were a regular feature, while her ability to bat long periods and maintain an imposing strike rate (133.10) often powering the Scorchers to winning totals.
The 30-year-old continued her incredible record in the WBBL, remaining the only batter to pass 350 runs in every season of the tournament’s history.
She sits comfortably as the all-time leading run getter in the competition, with 5051 at 46.33 from 142 matches.
A breakout season with the ball from young star Chloe Ainsworth saw her named in the Team of the Tournament for the second consecutive season, with the 19-year-old selected after another productive campaign.
The 19-year-old constructed several match-turning spells, finishing WBBL|10 with 12 wickets at 18.58 in ten matches, with her wicket-tally seeing her finish second among seamers for wickets.
An economy of 5.86 runs per over also stood out amongst bowlers, with no other bowler who bowled more than 15 overs finishing with an economy below six.
Ainsworth also claimed the league’s Young Gun Award, given to the player judged as the best performed player under the age of 21.
Several player milestones were achieved throughout the season by our Scorchers players, including:
- · Amy Jones reached 1000 Scorchers Runs
- · Amy Jones played her 50th Scorchers match
- Alana King played her 50th Scorchers match
- · Beth Mooney reached 5000 WBBL Runs
- · Sophie Devine took her 100th WBBL Wicket
- · Sophie Devine took her 50th WBBL Catch
WBBL|10 produced plenty of memorable moments, but here is a few that really caught our eye:
- Alana King’s 5/23 in crucial victory against the Brisbane Heat
- Chloe Ainsworth’s wickets of Lanning and Sutherland to get the girls season off to a perfect start
- Three wins from four matches in front of our loyal fans at the WACA Ground
- Beth Mooney’s 97 on the hallowed MCG Turf
- Ebony Hoskin’s nerves of steel to deliver a thrilling win against the Renegades
- Mikayla Hinkley’s hat-trick of boundaries in an incredible super-over tie against the Sixers in Hobart
- Four debutants joining the Scorchers family
In the meantime, the 2024-25 KFC Big Bash League will play from mid-December to February, with the Scorchers aiming to win their sixth BBL title.
The team is full of players with Australian international experience such as Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie and Jhye Richardson, among others.
The squad also features talented Englishmen Matthew Hurst and Keaton Jennings, who will both play in the prestigious competition for the first time.
Perth’s campaign kicks off on 15 December against Melbourne Stars at Optus Stadium in the season-opening match of BBL|14.