The focus of WBBL07 moves north on the island of Tasmania, from Hobart to Launceston, for the next few league games, with seven being played over the coming weekend.

Here are this weekend’s games (UK times) :-

Undefeated Strikers have the early start on both days, facing off first against Canes and then Heat. Canes will be buoyed by their big win over Stars, particularly bearing in mind Stars then went on to beat Sixers the next day. Canes certainly bowled well, but their batting was almost entirely in the hands of skipper Rachel Priest. Who will stand up against Strikers should she fail? In-form Strikers will fancy their chances.

Heat have shown their good and their bad sides already in their two games against Scorchers. One they lost, when they should have won, and the other they won by a country mile. They are the infuriating, yet loveable, toddler of WBBL07. Some days they will be really naughty, but it is difficult not to laugh as you tell them off. Uber-sensible Strikers might give them a hard time.

Heat’s other game of the weekend is against the Stars – the giant-killers of Wednesday! As well as Stars bowled you have to say that Sixers gifted that game to them. I’m not sure Heat will be so generous.

The final two games on Saturday are Thunder v Sixers and Scorchers v Renegades. Sixers can’t bat as badly as they did against Stars can they? They do have issues though. They may well be strong enough to beat Thunder, but the road ahead does not look to be without some hazardous obstacles. Scorchers will back themselves to beat Renegades, all the more so after Renegades learned that Georgia Wareham’s unfortunate knee injury will keep her out of the tournament. Renegades bowling line-up was thin before. Now it is just skipper Sophie Molineux. Things won’t get any better for Gades on Sunday when Sixers are their second opponents of the weekend. 

Finally Scorchers v Thunder will round out the weekend. Thunder are a very young side, led by a 19 year old captain in Hannah Darlington. That is a very big ask. Their batting relies on Smriti Mandhana and 18 year old Phoebe Litchfield. They are both immensely talented, but it is a tough ask to carry the batting in every game. Their bowlers are young too. Sophie Devine might just have a field day.

By the end of the weekend I’d expect Strikers, Sixers, Heat and Scorchers to be the happiest of the eight teams, and filling the top four places in the league.

Martin Davies
21/X/21