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Jess McFadyen set the tone with a rapid 59 (36), but Mollie Drumm’s 5-6 & Skye Bowden’s 42 to aid Tāmaki Makaurau to a 4-wicket win.
Te Whanganui-a-Tara chose to bat first, with Wellington representatives Caitlin King and Jess McFadyen leading the attack.
Mollie Drumm tore through the top order, removing King clean bowled and new batter Estella Wallace. Kaitlin Halliday worked in tandem with the legspinner, scarcely leaking a run in the first few overs.
Nicole Baird and McFadyen finished the powerplay for Te Whanganui-a-Tara on 18-2, with a much-needed rebuild.
The pair began to accelerate, McFadyen seeing off Sophie Court for 8 in her first over and Baird tonking Anika Todd for a 6.
The batters continued to make their intentions clear amassing 52-2 at the halfway point in their foundation-building partnership.
Baird and McFadyen ramped the rate up even more in dispatching Tauwhare and Court for 33 runs in 2 overs. Enforcer Drumm would soon end Te Whanganui-a-Tara’s key batter, dismissing the dangerous McFadyen for a quick-fire 59 off 36.
Lightbourne and Todd collected a wicket apiece before Amelia Newell and Jo Wawatai crafted a quiet partnership to the final over.
Drumm was called upon to bowl the last, picking up 2 wickets in her first delivery and only conceding 2 runs in the over. She finished her 4 overs with an economical 5-6.
Te Whanganui-a-Tara reached 112-7 after McFadyen’s 50 and Baird’s 25 in a partnership that brought the majority of the runs, with no other real contributions to the scoreboard.
Skye Bowden was quickly off the mark for Tāmaki Makaurau, launching Baird for a 6 and a 4 in the first.
Raiha Jeory Reynolds could only watch on at the other end as Bowden collected 33 runs from 23, sneaking 15 of her own.
Emma Parker made the breakthrough, clearing Reynolds for 18 in a valuable wicket maiden. She was back in the action in her next over, trapping Bowden LBW for a top-scoring 42 off 32 which set her Tāmaki Makaurau side up nicely with 67-2 at the halfway mark.
Faye Tahere threw a curveball the Aucklanders’ way, bowling Jess Smith and Anika Todd just short of the death.
Anika Tauwhare scraped together a run-a-ball 15 to get closer to the total, with Clare Crooks (12) and Holly Lightbourne getting the win in the final ball.
Parker and Tahere towards the end provided a glimmer of hope for Te Whanganui-a-Tara, but it was Tāmaki Makaurau’s lower order that tied it together for them at the end.
TEAMS:
Tāmaki Makaurau: Skye Bowden ©, Sophie Court, Claire Crooks, Mollie Drumm, Billie East, Kaitlyn Halliday, Raiha Jeory Reynolds (WK), Holly Lightbourne, Christelle McGuire, Jess Smith, Anika Tauwhare, Anika Todd.
Te Whanganui-a-Tara: Jess McFadyen (C, WK), Caitlin King, Estella Wallace, Nicole Baird, Sasha MacArthur, Joanne Wawatai, Keisha Pegg, Emma Parker, Greta Abbott, Gemma Guiney, Amelia Newell, Faye Tahere, Isabella Quin, Taylor Pewhairangi.
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