The 2017–18 Melbourne Renegades Women's season was the third in the team's history. Coached by Tim Coyle, they finished the regular season of WBBL03 in sixth place. Captain and new recruit Amy Satterthwaite won the league-wide Player of the Tournament award, though the Renegades nevertheless once again failed to qualify for finals. In promising signs for the team's future, all-rounder Sophie Molineux won the WBBL Young Gun Award, for which leg spinner Georgia Wareham and pace bowler Maitlan Brown were also nominated.

Squad Each WBBL|03 squad featured 15 active players, with an allowance of up to five marquee signings including a maximum of three from overseas. Australian marquees are classed as players who made at least ten limited-overs appearances for the national team in the three years prior to the cut-off date (24 April 2017).

Personnel changes ahead of the season included:

Tim Coyle was appointed head coach, replacing Lachlan Stevens. New Zealand marquee Amy Satterthwaite signed on, having departed the Hobart Hurricanes. Satterthwaite was appointed captain, replacing Rachel Priest (6–10 win–loss record) who moved to the Sydney Thunder. England marquee Danni Wyatt did not return for WBBL|03. Sri Lanka marquee Chamari Atapattu filled the vacant overseas player slot. Grace Harris departed after one season, returning to the Brisbane Heat. Annabel Sutherland moved to the Melbourne Stars. Jess Duffin, Emma Inglis and Hayley Jensen signed with the Renegades, exiting the Melbourne Stars. Jensen, a New Zealander, was classed as a local player due to her permanent residence in Australia and a lack of recent international cricket appearances. Claire Koski joined the team, following her departure from the Sydney Thunder.

The table below lists the Renegades players and their key stats (including runs scored, batting strike rate, wickets taken, economy rate, catches and stumpings) for the season. Name Date of birth Batting style Bowling style Notes Batters 58 Chamari Atapattu 9 February 1990 Left-handed Right-arm off spin 14 175 81.77 4 7.81 3 – Overseas marquee 8 Kris Britt 13 April 1984 Right-handed Right-arm leg spin 9 68 85.00 – – 3 – 27 Jess Duffin 27 June 1989 Right-handed Right-arm leg spin 10 238 112.26 – – 8 – Australian marquee 55 Claire Koski 13 March 1991 Right-handed Right-arm medium 14 111 113.26 0 13.00 3 – Gaby Lewis 27 March 2001 Right-handed Right-arm leg spin – – – – – – – Associate rookie 26 Rhiann O'Donnell 14 April 1998 Right-handed Right-arm medium – – – – – – – All-rounders 23 Sophie Molineux 17 January 1998 Left-handed Left-arm orthodox 14 318 116.48 6 6.38 9 – 17 Amy Satterthwaite 7 October 1986 Left-handed Right-arm off spin 14 368 108.55 11 6.57 7 –Captain, overseas marquee 9 Jenny Taffs 18 June 1995 Right-handed Left-arm wrist spin – – – – – – – Wicketkeepers 19 Emma Inglis 15 July 1988 Right-handed – 14 193 112.86 – – 4 5 Bowlers77 Maitlan Brown 5 June 1997 Right-handed Right-arm medium fast 14 56 103.70 15 6.33 4 – 44 Hayley Jensen 7 October 1992 Right-handed Right-arm medium fast 13 54 80.59 14 6.17 5 – 5 Molly Strano 5 October 1992 Right-handed Right-arm off spin 14 5 38.46 14 6.04 8 – 6 Lea Tahuhu 23 September 1990 Right-handed Right-arm fast 13 7 43.75 17 6.24 2 – Overseas marquee 7 Tayla Vlaeminck 27 October 1998 Right-handed Right-arm fast – – – – – – – 32 Georgia Wareham 26 May 1999 Right-handed Right-arm leg spin 11 7 100.00 10 6.34 0 –

Ladder

Fixtures

Regular season

With the Renegades requiring 28 runs from the remaining 17 balls, new recruit Jess Duffin was dismissed in controversial fashion by what commentators and players believed to be an illegitimate catch. The momentum of the contest then swung dramatically and the Renegades lost by eleven runs.

In "bizarre" scenes, Sixers batter Sarah Aley attempted to score a game-tying run on the last delivery despite Renegades wicket-keeper Emma Inglis, having received the ball over the stumps from fielder Kris Britt and thus believing the match to be over, already celebrating victory. After deliberation, officiating umpires deemed the ball was not dead and the run would be allowed, thereby forcing a super over which the Renegades nevertheless went on to win.

Chasing 119 for victory, Renegades captain Amy Satterthwaite—who looked to have been run out earlier in the innings and left the field, but was recalled after TV replays showed wicket-keeper Nicole Faltum had dislodged the bails prematurely—hit a six off the final delivery against the bowling of Georgia Elwiss to tie the game. With scores still level after the super over, the Stars were awarded the win on the boundary count back rule.

Statistics and awards

Most runs: Amy Satterthwaite – 368 (8th in the league) Highest score in an innings: Jess Duffin – 81 (47) vs Sydney Thunder, 9 December 2017 Most wickets: Lea Tahuhu – 17 (equal 4th in the league) Best bowling figures in an innings: Hayley Jensen – 3/11 (3 overs) vs Sydney Thunder, 24 January 2018 Most catches (fielder): Sophie Molineux – 9 (equal 3rd in the league) Player of the Match awards: Sophie Molineux, Amy Satterthwaite – 3 each Jess Duffin – 1 Renegades Player of the Season: Amy Satterthwaite WBBL|03 Player of the Tournament: Amy Satterthwaite (1st) WBBL|03 Team of the Tournament: Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu WBBL|03 Young Gun Award: Sophie Molineux (winner), Georgia Wareham (nominated), Maitlan Brown (nominated)

References