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Sport
Adrian Warren

Matthews leads Renegades to WBBL win

Hayley Matthews (2-l) led the Melbourne Renegades to a fine eight-wicket win over Sydney Thunder. (Matt Turner/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Stand-in skipper Hayley Matthews has steered Melbourne Renegades to a crushing eight-wicket win over Sydney Thunder, relegating them to the bottom of the WBBL ladder.

The Thunder lost a wicket in the first over at Manuka Oval and crashed to 5-33 in the ninth and were dismissed for just 95 off the final ball of the innings.

Georgia Prestwidge (3-22), Sarah Coyte (2-12) and Ella Hayward (2-21) were the chief wicket-takers while Matthews (1-12) was miserly in her four-over stint.

A sixth-wicket stand of 28 between Sammy-jojo Johnson (16 off 15) and Tahlia Wilson (20 off 27) provided the only real resistance for the Sydney side.

They took 17 off one Power Surge over, but Johnson's dismissal triggered a 4-9 collapse.

A last-wicket stand of 25 added some flesh to a skinny score but still left Thunder well short of a competitive total.

West Indian representative Matthews, who was leading the team after regular captain Sophie Molineux suffered a season-ending knee injury on the weekend, notched her season-best WBBL score of 46 not out off 40 balls.

The Renegades lost Sri Lankan Chamari Athapaththu in the first over, but fellow opener Matthews controlled the chase, hitting several fine offside shots and a legside six.

Matthews and Josie Dooley (21 off 20) added 42 for the second wicket before the latter miscued a shot and was caught.

That was the last bit of joy for the Thunder with Matthews and Courtney Webb (21 off 23) adding 50 to clinch victory with 34 balls to spare.

The acting captain smashed boundaries off the first two balls off the 15th over to secure the Renegades' third win of the campaign.

They moved above the Thunder into seventh, two points above the Sydney team, who have played one game less.

Belinda Vakarewa (15 off 14 and 0-13 off four) was one of the Thunder's few decent contributors and spinner Lauren Smith took 1-12 off three.

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