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2024 ended with a close victory for the Otago Sparks and the Central Stags got home comfortably.
Otago Sparks vs Central Hinds:
The Otago Sparks have won a thriller in Alexandra with a penultimate ball victory to win by one wicket over the Central Hinds.
Wickets fell regularly in both innings but it was Olivia Gain’s 24 for the home side with the bat and wickets from regulars such as Eden Carson that ended up proving vital.
Emma McLeod (2) fell to Sparks captain Hayley Jensen in the fourth over and then a run out to Thamsyn Newton as she looked to take a single off her first ball.
There were really only minor contributions throughout the Central middle order with no player able to stay in alongside opener, English international, Hollie Armitage.
Out of favour White Fern, Hannah Rowe was promoted up the order to number four and looked to get a start for her side, but she looked to take on Carson and instead found the hands of Emma Black.
Hinds captain Mikaela Greig struck a six off Anna Browning straight down the ground and tried to do it the following ball however was caught by Black for 12.
Coming off a maiden List A hundred a few weeks ago, Kerry Tomlinson couldn’t put on any performance as she was dismissed for a two ball duck to Felicity Robertson.
With the score sitting at 45/5 at the halfway point and Armitage still at the crease, there was a chance that the Hinds could push on for a quality total.
However apart from Flora Devonshire’s 12 from 19, wickets to the spinners allowed the Sparks to restrict the visitors to just 89 with Armitage finishing on 32 not out from 47.
Carson finished with three wickets whilst Kirstie Gordon picked up the two late wickets of Rosemary Mair (5) and Kate Gaging (0).
The Sparks didn’t get off to a good start either as they lost both their openers early on with Mair bowling Bella James for two and Claudia Green getting Suzie Bates (in her 100th Super Smash match) for five.
Olivia Gain showed some fightback even though the Sparks lost a third wicket when Caitlin Blakely fell to Rowe for one. Gain (24) and wicketkeeper Polly Inglis (11) looked like they could be the pair to resurrect the home side's innings with a 20 run stand, however both fell in quick succession to the spin twins of Devonshire and Ocean Bartlett respectively.
Robertson and Browning also worked hard and chipped in with 11 each as the game started to swing back to Sparks favour. However, they soon slipped to 72/7 when the pair both fell to Rowe.
It would soon become 72/8 and the Hinds looked like they might pick up an unlikely victory when Mair got her second of the day to finish with 2/16 from her four overs, including a maiden.
The victory however would fall in the way of the Sparks, who through Carson and Gordon were sitting at 86/9 when Bartlett picked up Carson for five.
Going into the final over needing four for victory, the Sparks soon made it three to win when Gordon took a single of the first ball. Devonshire sent down a couple of dots to Black to leave three needed from the last three balls.
It was down to two needed from the last two as the batters just snuck through for a single. Gordon managed to get the ball past the fielders on the offside and take her side to a one run victory.
The Hinds will travel to Nelson to host the Wellington Blaze on Saturday while the Sparks play next on the 7th against Canterbury in Christchurch.
Otago Volts vs Central Stags:
The Stags found themselves with early success to start the season off as the Volts quickly slipped to three down in three overs.
Spinner Angus Schaw struck in the first over removing young Otago opener Jamal Todd for five and he was soon joined back in the pavilion by Dale Phillips (4) and Max Chu (4) who both fell to Blair Tickner.
Otago’s fightback came through experienced domestic heads of Leo Carter and Dean Foxcroft who worked through some tough batting conditions early as they worked to build the innings for the hosts.
Central’s bowlers did manage to keep it tight at times, however as the hosts looked to up the run rate it led to the demise of the pair with Carter falling to Joey Field for 25 and Foxcroft to Jayden Lennox, also for 25.
The Volts did manage to get a special innings from number six, Llew Johnson who struck a 27 ball 50 and was supported well by Ruben Clinton (5), Ben Lockrose (15), and Andrew Hazeldine (7*).
Tickner finished with three wickets whilst all the other bowlers picked up one each with Brett Randell going for just 11 runs from his four overs.
Central were set a target of 155 for victory from their 20 overs.
An early wicket fell for the visitors when 17 year old Mason Clarke had Jack Boyle on his way for two in the second over.
Will Young and Curtis Heaphy built a solid 82 run second wicket partnership that was crucial in taking the game away from the Volts.
Both players did fall in the space of a couple of overs with spinners Ben Lockrose getting Young for 50 and Dean Foxcroft getting Heaphy for 43.
A quickfire late order knock from Stags captain Tom Bruce, who struck 44* from just 19 balls and Will Clark who made 10* as the visitors took a comfortable seven wicket win.
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