Blaze Win Women’s Super Smash in Entertaining Low Scoring Final

The Blaze got off to a slowish start through Sophie Devine and Rebecca Burns after the game had to be reduced to 19 overs due to some early rain.

However, the Hinds were then able to strike with the massive wicket of Devine with Rosemary Mair bowling her for five. 

Hannah Rowe then had the wicket of Burns for ten with Georgia Atkinson taking the catch to have the Blaze at 22/2 after four overs.

Four balls into the next over the rain decided to come back and once again we lost more overs, two this time. 

The ball following the rain break, the Hinds had a third wicket with Mair getting her second wicket of the day as Georgia Plimmer found herself trapped LBW.

Claudia Green then gave the Hinds a fourth wicket in four overs as she bowled Leigh Kasperek for a three-ball duck. The Blaze now finding themselves in serious trouble at 24/4. 

Kate Chandler was unable to score any runs from the following over with Rosemary Mair bowling a maiden and having figures of 3 overs, 1 maiden, 2 runs conceded, and two wickets.

Chandler and Amelia Kerr were able to fight back through the middle orders of the game with a rebuilding stand of 20 runs in five overs.

Green was brought back into the attack and she was able to nab a fifth wicket for the Hinds with Chandler falling for eight.

Jess Kerr joined her sister in the middle. Jess came out and struck a four-first ball, showing that she was going to attack throughout her stay at the crease.

The Kerr sisters did up the Blaze run out with it sitting above five runs per over at one stage. 

However, wickets were still falling for the Wellington side with Jess Jerr falling for 12 from ten with Ashtuti Kumar grabbing the wicket as Kerr tried to smash her down the ground.

Jess McFadyen was run out by Hannah Rowe as she tried to take a run but was not able to ground her bat and was walking back for a two-ball duck.

Natasha Codyre came out to the middle and hit a six-first ball and then grabbed a four via a misfield from her second ball.

Kerr went in the last over for a vital run a ball 35 as she edged off to Nat Dodd with Mair getting her third wicket. Mair then had a fourth as she bowled Codyre for a quick 12 from four. 

Thamsyn Newton ran out Nicole Baird's last ball as she and Xara Jetly looked to push for two runs.

The Blaze finished on 89/10 from their 17 overs and no runs were added on through the DLS method. Mair finished with figures of 4-1-5-4. 

Hollie Armitage got the Hinds off to a fast start as she struck three fours in the first two overs. Devine however was able to strike as she picked up Armitage caught and bowled for 21 from 17. 

The Wellington spinners then dominated the middle overs with 16 runs being made by Thamsyn Newton and Nat Dodd between the fourth and tenth over of the match. The Hinds were sitting at 40/1 after ten overs.

With the run rate steadily climbing and the Hinds needing to find runs, Dodd tried to take on Kasperek but perished through a second caught and bowled for the Blaze. She went for 18.

Hannah Rowe joined Newton in the middle and they knew that they would have to attack. 

The first two overs between the pair went for nine and eight runs with the Hinds needing 21 runs to win from the final three overs. Amelia Kerr brought herself on for the third to last over and only conceded three runs. 

With 18 needed from the last 12 balls, Jess Kerr was given the crucial penultimate over and she struck with the first ball of the over as Hannah Rowe found herself bowled for 12 from ten.

Mikaela Greig struck a four on her second ball and then took a single for her third ball. Newton took a two and then a single from the last two balls to leave 10 needed from the last.

Devine bowled a dot on the first ball of the last over before conceding a wide. Nine needed from five.

The Hinds pushed for two runs with Devine missing a run-out opportunity. Seven are needed from four.

Newton skied one straight up but Devine dropped the caught and bowled chance and they got through for a single. Six needed from three. 

Greig took a single as she just snuck it past Leigh Kasperek. Five needed from two. 

Devine then bowled another wide to leave four runs from two balls.

Newton and Greig were able to run one and they tried to get through for a second but Devine ran her out for six from four. Three runs are needed from one ball.

Newton missed the ball and the Hinds tried to push for a second but was run out and the Blaze took a one-run win. 

The Wellington Blaze are the 2023/24 Super Smash champions.