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Batting performances across the country lit up round eight action in the HBJ Shield.
Auckland Hearts vs Otago Sparks:
The Otago Sparks went into today’s game with the maximum 35 points on offer from the first seven matches of the season and were looking at carrying on this form, but the Hearts had other ideas as they took a 24-run win at home.
It was Maddy Green’s 76 at number three which led the way for her side, but she built her innings after the opening pair of Saachi Shahri (41) and Cate Pedersen’s (25) solid start.
Auckland never lost wickets in clumps throughout the innings, with players right throughout the order able to build partnerships and put pressure on the Otago bowlers.
Izzy Gaze came to the middle after the fall of Lauren Down to Molly Loe for 20 and went to her highest List A score of 63 from just 49 balls, showing good acceleration over the back half of her innings.
Eden Carson was the best bowler for the Sparks, picking up the three wickets of Pedersen, Gaze, and Amie Hucker, whilst Chloe Deerness had two to her name.
Otago had already been dealt a blow early on with Suzie Bates unable to bat due to an injury sustained in the field, so captain Felicity Robertson put herself up to open.
Robertson made the most of the opportunity as she made her ninth List A half-century and would go on to finish on 80 before being bowled in the 45th over of the chase.
The rest of Otago’s top five could do very little with the bat as Hucker and Fran Jonas each picked up two wickets early on to have the visitors sitting at 72/4 in the 17th over.
In came Eden Carson, who had been promoted to number, and it sure paid for her!
Carson worked well with Robertson to keep Otago sitting at around the required rate, but she fell in the 36th over for 54, her highest List A score.
Despite a valiant 26* from 35 by Hayley Jensen, it wasn’t enough for Otago, who were bowled out with 10 balls remaining.
Bree Illing finished with 4/49 as she ran through the Otago tail.
Wellington Blaze vs Canterbury Magicians:
A ninth List A century from Kate Ebrahim has lifted the Canterbury Magicians to third on the HBJ table after her side's 14-run win in Wellington.
After a 51-run stand for the opening wicket between Ebrahim and Kate Anderson (26), there was a wee blip in the visitor's innings as they lost a further three wickets in quick succession.
Harriet Graham fell for eight to Nicole Baird whilst Natasha Codyre grabbed both Izzy Sharp and Nat Cox for ducks to slip to 75/4.
It would soon become 118/5 when Jodie Dean went for 27 to Codyre, and it left the Magicians needing to find some stand to push them above 200.
Missy Banks and Ebrahim did just that for the visitors with an 87-run stand for sixth wicket. Banks was dismissed for 35, a maiden List A wicket to Isla McKenize.
Ebrahim brought up her century with one ball left in the innings to finish on 100* from 135 balls as the Magicians posted 215 from their 50 overs.
Canterbury kept the pressure on throughout the Blaze’s pursuit with some tight bowling led by the experienced Jess Simmons, who finished with 2/23 from her ten overs, and newbie Libby Stead, who bowled 2/24.
The home side did lose a couple of early wickets with Rebecca Burns (9) and Cailtin King (4) both falling in the powerplay, however, Hannah Francis and Jess McFadyen stabilised the Blaze’s innings.
Regular pressure applied by the Magicians bowlers allowed them to bowl the Blaze out for 201.
Jess Kerr tried her best to keep the Blaze in the game with 44 from 62 but was undone by Stead, whilst late contributions from Baird (16), McKenzie (23), and Codyre (10*) left the Blaze 14 runs short.
Central Hinds vs Northern Districts:
A fifth List A century for Caitlin Gurrey wasn’t enough for Northern in New Plymouth, who were outclassed by a solid Central Hinds batting performance.
After a 20-run first over that saw Claudia Green concede two fours and a six, it was pretty quiet for the rest of the powerplay as the Hinds picked up three wickets.
Jess Watkin went first to Ashtuti Kumar for 12, and she was quickly followed by Yaz Kareem (16) and Tash Wakelin (21).
Gurrey and Nensi Patel started to build a partnership for the visitors and went on to make Northern’s highest fourth wicket stand against the Central Hinds, worth 71 runs.
But for the hosts, the wicket of Patel came at the right time, with Ocean Bartlett getting her for 22.
Gurrey kept up the pressure from her end and was able to work alongside both Marian Lamplough (12) and Marama Downes (21) to take the visitors to 218/6 when Downes fell.
Jesse Prasad managed to carry her batting form over from the previous game and was in the middle when Gurrey made her century from 102 balls.
Northern went on to finish with 292 from their 49.2 overs, with Shriya Naidu the last one out for eight.
Central started their chase solidly, with Georgia Atkinson and Emma McLeod setting a strong tone early on. They were pushing at over six runs an over for the powerplay and were sitting on 70 by the time the first wicket fell in the 12th over.
Carol Agafili was the one to take that wicket when she bowled Atkinson for 46.
McLeod (63) and Thamsyn Newton (29) kept up the Hinds' momentum, but the loss of both in quick succession did leave the Hinds in a bit of a hole.
Captain Mikaela Greig couldn’t back up her 77 from yesterday as she fell to Patel for 12.
A handy 30 from Rowe took the Hinds into the final ten overs needing 66 for the win with Flora Devonshire and Kerry Tomlinson in the middle.
The Hinds would go on to chase down Northern’s total with five balls left in the match, with Devonshire finishing on her best List A score of 73* and Tomlinson on 30*. It was also the second highest List A chase in New Zealand Women’s List A cricket.
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