MELBOURNE Renegades have won their first Women’s Big Bash League title, defeating the Brisbane Heat by seven runs in today’s rain interrupted final.

Despite not making the best of scores with the bat, the Renegades gave an exceptional fielding performance to take home the title. Player of the Final honours went to Hayley Matthews, who was stellar with bat in hand, ball in hand and in the field, and played a huge part in the Renegades ultimately getting the job done.

Brisbane Heat won the toss but decided to send the Renegades into bat first, and Renegades openers Matthews and Courtney Webb playing a steady approach to the beginning of the innings before Webb found the first boundary halfway through the second over.

However, just as Nicola Hancock’s first over was starting to get a bit expensive she struck gold when Webb was caught out in midwicket by Jemimah Rodrigues to be the first wicket to fall.

The second wicket came not long after when Laura Harris caught Sophie Molineux just backward of square off the bowling of Charli Knott, and things were not looking very steady for the hosts. The very next ball Deandra Dottin was run out for a diamond duck, and things went from bad to worse for the Renegades.

Thankfully for the Renegades Matthews and Georgia Wareham were able to stem the bleeding for a while and started to bank up the boundaries, helped at times by some dodgy Heat fielding.

Eventually all good partnerships come to an end, and this one came to an end in the 10th over after Wareham was caught in the deep by Grace Harris off the bowling of Grace Parsons. However, the total was up to 64 and the run rate was looking more stable for those in red.

Despite continuing to lose batting partners around her, Matthews continued to be a woman on a mission, going for the big shots and really testing her luck with some catching opportunities. The Renegades decided to take their Power Surge Overs at the 13 over mark, and they certainly took advantage of it, smashing 14 off the first of the two overs and then eight off the second.

Matthews continued to be the glue holding the Renegades together, striking the ball well to really drive the home side forward. She was also building a solid partnership with Naomi Stalenberg before Stalenberg became Harris’ second victim after the Heat player caught her in the deep off the bowling of Parsons.

Matthews eventually reached her 50 in the 16th over, but continued to lose batting partners as Nicole Faltum became the fifth Renegade caught out, not escaping the solid catching hands of Jess Jonassen to become Lucy Hamilton’s first wicket.

Georgia Prestwidge and Sarah Coyte barely made an impact before they too were dismissed, and now the question was going to be what would happen first – the Renegades run out of wickets or they reach the 20 overs.

Matthews tried to keep going big right until the end, but ultimately her luck ran out on the fourth last ball of the innings when she was caught in the deep by Hamilton to become Knott’s third wicket. She ultimately made 69.

Although they cut it fine the Renegades did see out their full overs, reaching 9/141 from them.

In reply, Heat openers Georgia Redmayne and Grace Harris were looking like making a pretty measured start to the chase, but disaster struck for the visitors on the final ball of the first over when Coyte took a stellar catch at mid off to dismiss Harris for a duck to give Charis Bekker her first wicket.

Redmayne and new batter Rodrigues retreated to an even more cautious approach, which then backfired when Rodrigues was caught in at cover by Molineux to give Milly Illingworth her first wicket.

But, just as Redmayne and Knott were steadying themselves and grounding the innings, rain decided to make an appearance and delay proceedings.

Once the game did resume, the Heat’s target was reduced to 98 off 12 overs, so they had 79 runs left to get off 52 balls. The restart did not really change anything for the Heat as Redmayne skied one to mid off, straight into the hands of Bekker, and Molineux joined the wicket taking tally.

The Heat really needed to start picking up the pace, and needed to do so quickly.

Knott tried to go big, but it backfired when she got caught in the deep by Molineux off the bowling off Matthews. Her replacement Laura Harris was gone next ball and Matthews found herself with a hattrick opportunity. Unfortunately for Matthews she had to wait until her next over for her hattrick ball, which came close to being a successful hattrick but not quite.

In the meantime, Jonassen and Lauren Winfield-Hill were certainly trying their hardest to pick up the pace for the Heat, turning over the strike well. With four overs to go, the Heat needed 51 runs and at over 12 runs an over and things were looking tough for those in blue.

The Heat decided to take their Power Surge for the 10th and 11th overs, and it almost got off to the worst possible start, but thankfully for the Heat the Renegades’ fielder fumbled the catch attempt on the boundary and it dropped over for a six. Jonassen then followed up that six with another four, and things were looking up for a brief moment for the Heat.

Just as Deandra Dottin’s first over was starting to get a bit expensive, the joy did not last long for the Heat as Matthews took a catch to dismiss Winfield-Hill, and the Renegades were inching ever closer to that title.

Jonassen tried her hardest to keep her side in the match, playing a true captain’s knock and going on to make 44 not out, but ultimately that hill was too tall to climb, as the Heat made 6/90.

Melbourne Renegades 9/141 defeated Brisbane Heat 6/90 (12 overs)

Renegades won by seven runs under DLS method.