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Heat claim back-to-back WBBL titles

3 minute read

Brisbane Heat star Beth Mooney has hailed the leadership of captain Kirby Short in securing back-to-back WBBL titles after defeating Adelaide in Sunday's final.

KIRBY SHORT.
KIRBY SHORT. Picture: Michael Dodge/Getty Images

Hungry but humble.

That simple message from Brisbane Heat captain Kirby Short has been the mantra which has lifted her team to back-to-back WBBL titles.

The Heat claimed a six-wicket win over Adelaide Strikers at a sold-out Allan Border Field on Sunday, with opening batter Beth Mooney's unbeaten 56 the linchpin as the home team chased down a target of 162 with 11 balls to spare.

It's the second year in a row Mooney has made a half-century in WBBL finals after her 65 in last year's upset win over the Sydney Sixers.

The 25-year-old ends the tournament with 743 runs at an average of 74.30 including nine half-centuries.

Mooney however said credit for the team's achievement comes down to Short's leadership and the three-word slogan inspired by the top brass at AFL premiers Richmond.

"Kirby's done a lot of work with the Richmond leadership mentoring people there with Trent Cotchin and the coach (Damien Hardwick) and people like that and they sort of came up with that together," Mooney said.

"She came back and wanted us to have something that made us not forget where we've come from and the people that have been before us but make sure we don't leave any stone unturned.

"It's easy when you've won a championship to sort of rest on your laurels but I think this year we just wanted to keep getting better and better because once you've started winning people start to hunt you."

Brisbane, who have won 10 of their past 11 matches to storm to the title, started Sunday's final in perfect fashion by dismissing Strikers star allrounder Sophie Devine in the second over for just five.

The New Zealander's dismissal meant she ended the tournament on 769 runs, just eight shy of Ellyse Perry's single-season record of 777 runs from last summer.

The Strikers then struggled to 5-93 before Amanda-Jade Wellington' made 55 off 33 deliveries including 10 fours to lift her team to 6-162 off their 20 overs.

Any hope Adelaide might have had of defending that score essentially disappeared when Sammy-Jo Johnson slammed four sixes off one Devine over.

The White Fern did dismiss Johnson for 27 off just 11 deliveries with the final ball of the over but not before the big-hitting Heat star had sent her on to the roof of the Queensland Cricket offices three times and into the Stuart Law Stand with another big blow.

From there a 67-run third-wicket stand between Mooney and Jess Jonassen (33) off just 49 deliveries put the Heat within touching distance of the target before Laura Harris (18) scored the winning runs in a final for the second year in a row.

"I thought we put a defendable total on the scoreboard but obviously our bowling and fielding wasn't up to standard," Wellington said.

"We're a better side than that and obviously the best team on the day wins and we weren't that team."

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