The Launceston talent line has aided Hobart Hurricanes on Sunday to maintain their dominant home record up North at UTAS Stadium.
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But not before suffering an early scare against Brisbane Heat in a moderate run chase to secure just a second Canes win after nine matches.
Requiring 130 to capture a morale-boosting victory, the Hurricanes slumped to 4-29 before steadily building and then thumping away towards a five-wicket triumph.
The WBBL hosts have won six times from eight appearances playing in Launceston dating back to 2015 and will return again to the same venue for Monday’s game.
The architects of the win included three bowlers who had first worked their craft on grounds within hundreds of metres of the UTAS pitch.
Meg Phillips, the one-time Tornadoes basketball guard, picked up 3-16 off four overs with her medium-pacers.
Hurricanes captain Sasha Moloney joined Brooke Hepburn to finish with 2-22 each.
But it was Brisbane that gained the initial ascendancy after star Grace Harris struck four boundaries off the first eight balls she faced.
This came after her 42-ball century 11 days earlier. But Phillips soon had dismissed Harris for 23 off just 12 balls.
Phillips also combined with Longford offie Moloney to catch Sam-Jo Johnson out for 10 after hitting her runs off the two scoring shots.
The spinners started working a treat when English import Alex Hartley picked up two wickets to pressure the Heat at 4-65 in the 11th over.
Moloney came back to clean up Josephine Dooley off her seventh delivery with a ball that went straight on.
Hepburn sharply got in the Launceston act, snapping up two wickets in three balls, including Kirby Short for 19.
Phillips’s third wicket had the Heat 8-107 before the tail wagged for a further 22 runs.
The Hurricanes got off to a flying start with three fours and a six in the first 17 balls.
But the momentum swung quickly when Harris and Delissa Kimmince both grabbed two key scalps.
Smriti Mandhana (6), Stef Daffara (0), Heather Knight (4) and Erin Fazackerley (17) were out in quick succession as the Hurricanes lost 4-7.
But Corrinne Hall and Mikayla Hinkley steadily ticked the scoreboard over before Hinkley restored the balance with two back-to-back fours for the first time in 13 overs.
That initiated an onslaught when the pair slammed 36 runs in three overs to bring the rate finally under a run a ball when the hosts needed 22 runs in the final four overs.
Another two boundaries in the 17th over reduced the target to only nine off 18 balls. But Hall’s dismissal for a match-saving 48 off 39 balls put the celebrations on ice three runs from victory.
Hinkley remained unbeaten on 45 from 35, but could be in doubt for Monday’s return game after sustaining a leg injury sliding for a run.