The Sydney Thunder have moved to within one point of heading the WBBL ladder after notching a hard-fought five-run victory over the Melbourne Stars.
Nicola Carey was instrumental on Sunday with both bat (39no) and ball (2-22) to earn player-of-the-match honours, as the Thunder posted 6-122 before limiting the Stars to 9-117 at Bankstown Oval.
With the Stars requiring 13 off the last six deliveries, Carey kept her composure with a fine death over, the Stars' bid for victory falling just short.
After South African Lizelle Lee was trapped lbw for 12, the visitors looked solid at 1-69 before a 5-17 collapse sabotaged their chase.
West Indian Stafanie Taylor's brilliance in the field helped to turn the match the Thunder's way, firstly running out Ange Reakes (33) with a direct hit with one peg to aim at, before snaring an acrobatic return catch to get rid of Mignon du Preez (25).
Wrist spinner Maisy Gibson (3-22) proved a handful in conditions where batting wasn't always easy after early-morning showers and an onslaught of hail and lightning which curtailed Saturday's encounter.
With the bat, Carey gave the home side plenty of impetus after an early stop-start in their innings.
Rachael Haynes (18) and Rachel Priest (12) made starts and Naomi Stalenberg survived two dropped chances en route to a measured 21.
Carey and teenager Rachel Trenaman (12no) put on a crucial unbeaten 50 off 31 balls for the seventh wicket to lift the Thunder from a precarious 6-73 in the 15th over to a respectable total which proved beyond the Stars.
"I did get dropped early on so I was pretty grateful for that," Carey said.
"I was pretty rusty, I haven't batted for some time in a game but really happy to get some runs and get us to a decent total."
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