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Sparks make perfect start to HBJ Shield

Anna Browning Eden Carson Louisa Kotkamp
Bowlers (from left) Anna Browning, Eden Carson and Louisa Kotkamp starred for the Otago Sparks. PHOTOS: OTAGO CRICKET

Two bonus-point victories have the Otago Sparks top of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield after the opening two rounds.


The defending champions twice thumped the Canterbury Magicians in Rangiora, with Sunday's 114-run victory backing up Saturday's 170-run DLS win as they became the only side to go two-from-two over the weekend.


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The Sparks were good with the bat, but even better with the ball as White Fern Eden Carson (3-23) and ex-Auckland Heart Anna Browning (a List-A career-best 3-34) led the wicket-taking.


But it was a team effort, White Fern Hayley Jensen (2-19 off her 7.5 overs) and youngster Louisa Kotkamp (1-9 off her four overs) also creating excellent pressure in a tight all-round attack that dominated an experienced Canterbury line-up.


On the first day, Canterbury veteran Frankie Mackay became New Zealand's leading women's run-scorer, even though she only scored seven. That was enough to take her to 5152 runs, surpassing Amy Satterthwaite's 5147.


There were multiple contributors, led by Belly James with 63 from 77 and Caitlin Blakely with 49 not out from 73, as the Sparks reached 198-6 on Saturday. Kotkamp then took 4-17 from seven as Canterbury fell for 60.


Xara Jetly Wellington Blaze cricket
Wellington's Xara Jetly plays to the leg-side against the Central Hinds. PHOTO: DAVE LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY

At Tauranga's Bay Oval, another White Fern scored an unbeaten century, while at the Basin Reserve, Women's T20 World Cup star Rosemary Mair whistled to a new one-day career-best of 6-21, twice putting herself on unconverted hat-tricks.


After Saturday's opening round loss, the Wellington Blaze had their revenge over the Central Hinds with a 25-run win securing them four points. Teen pace bowler Hannah Francis finished with a career-best 4-18 as the Hinds found themselves bowled out for 107, chasing the Blaze's 132 in another low-scoring tussle.


Mair's 6-21 now becomes the fourth-best List-A bowling haul in the Hinds' record books, after Ocean Bartlett took 6-27 against the same team the previous day as the Blaze defeated the Hinds by 25 runs.


Jess Kerr took 4-17 from nine and Xara Jetly 3-32 from nine on Saturday to dismiss Central for 141. However, Wellington's batting lineup failed, with Jetly top-scoring with 28, closely followed by extras.



Auckland Hearts captain Maddy Green continued her commanding early-season form, backing up her 65 on Saturday with an unbeaten 118 off 124 balls on Sunday. It was the White Ferns' second career century for the Hearts, and fifth overall in List-A one-dayers.


But it was a lone effort in a total of 194, and ultimately in vain as the Northern Districts Women chase boiled down to a nailbiter, ND needed their last 20 runs off 54 balls, but with just one wicket in hand.


The thriller pitted the last ND pair, young No 6 Eve Wolland and tailender Shriya Naidu, against a strong Hearts attack. Wolland, 18, was the hero of the day as she struck the winning boundary in the 47th over to finish with a career-best 48 not out, and Naidu surviving 28 deliveries for her four runs.


On day one, Auckland scored a seven-wicket win, chasing down ND's 247 in the 45th over, with Saachi Shahri top-scoring with 77 from 96 and putting on 117 runs with Green for the second wicket.

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