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WBBL07: Perth Scorchers import Marizanne Kapp sparks Hobart Kapp-itulation at the WACA Ground

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Jordan McArdleThe West Australian
Marizanne Kapp of the Scorchers celebrates the wicket of Nicola Carey of the Hurricanes.
Camera IconMarizanne Kapp of the Scorchers celebrates the wicket of Nicola Carey of the Hurricanes. Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images

Marizanne Kapp hopes her record-breaking performance in Sunday’s five-wicket win over of Hobart at the WACA Ground can release the pressure she’s put on herself since joining Perth this summer.

Kapp, who finished with the best ever WBBL figures by a Scorcher with 4-10, admits she felt like “I haven’t contributed at all” in the first half of the tournament.

One day after losing to the same team at the same venue, the Scorchers produced a stunning turn around to roll the Hurricanes for just 96.

In reply, Perth reeled in the sub-par total with 27 balls left for their fifth win of the tournament to jump to third on the ladder with a five-game stint in Adelaide to come.

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Kapp was unstoppable from the get-go, dismissing both openers in her first over on the way to career-best figures, to go with an unbeaten run-a-ball 14 to seal the match.

The South African allrounder would’ve had a maiden five-wicket haul if not for a dropped catch by Lilly Mills who let top-scorer Ruth Johnston (38 off 30) off the hook.

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Kapp’s superb figures.
Camera IconKapp’s superb figures. Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images

“We’ve been performing in bits and pieces and a lot of us haven’t been at our best, especially me,” Kapp said.

“I feel like I haven’t contributed at all so hopefully today helps me along the way and it’s good timing heading into the back end of the competition.

“I felt like the first few games I wasn’t myself with bat and ball and hopefully today is going to help me going forward.

“Coming into this tournament I’ve been in good form over in England, I bowled well and scored some runs so I think I just put a bit too much pressure on myself coming into a new team.

“It’s almost like you want to show them why they made the right decision to pick you and hopefully all the pressure is off and it can just get better.”

The Hurricanes lost 5-17 during the power play, hitting just one boundary against a dominant Perth seam attack led by Kapp who had three scalps during that time.

That became 6-19 next over to have historians reaching for the record books, but Johnston and Sasha Moloney (15 off 21) made sure the visitors avoided the lowest ever WBBL score of 66 with a 54-run seventh-wicket rearguard.

Australian quick Tayla Vlaeminck (3-21 off four) gave the Scorchers batters an early scare during the run chase, knocking over three of their top four including captain Sophie Devine with the ball of the tournament, but it was always going to be an uphill battle with so few runs on the board.

For the second game in a row, both Mooney (6) and Devine (11) were gone during the power play with the latter falling victim of one that angled in, moved away and hit the top of off stump.

Chloe Piparo (29) was out with six runs needed, with player-of-the-match Kapp finishing the job with two boundaries in three balls.

Earlier, Johnston had a pair of lives on 25 and 36, with speedster Taneale Peschel unable to hold onto a tough caught-and-bowled chance for the first.

In her 50th WBBL appearance for the Scorchers, Peschel bowled outstanding without reward, going for just 11 runs from her four overs.

Off-spin recruit Mills made up for her fielding blunder, grabbing three wickets to jump to a tournament-high 15 and overtake Brisbane Heat tweaker Jess Jonassen for Golden Cap honours.

Mills, in her first season in orange, was on a hat-trick after getting rid of danger pair Johnston and Moloney in consecutive deliveries.

After winning the toss and batting first, Hobart skipper Rachel Priest (1) was knocked over eighth ball of the day by a perfect Kapp yorker.

Priest, who scored a player-of-the-match 54 on Saturday, was followed by her promoted opening partner Naomi Stalenberg (golden duck) two balls later.

Devine joined the party in her first appearance at the bowling crease, taking 2-15 off three with one wicket either side of the power play.

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