Outgoing head coach Craig Cumming's Otago Sparks are looking unstoppable after a sixth bonus-point victory in a row in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield.
The relentless defending champions have banked the maximum 30 points from the first six-match phase of the national women's one-day competition that will now break for the Women's Super Smash holiday season window.
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The Sparks were not the only ones to tick off a winning weekend, the Central Hinds scampering back up into second spot on the table, after twin bonus-point victories against the cellar-dwelling Canterbury Magicians at New Plymouth's Pukekura Park.
The Hinds will have two more matches at Pukekura Park when the one-dayers resume in early-February, before a fascinating double showdown with the Sparks in Dunedin that could clear their own path to the final.
Propelled by a Suzie Bates century and Eden Carson five-wicket bag in their latest victory, the Sparks have now opened up an impressive 15-point lead on the Hinds, the equivalent of three bonus-point wins, with just four matches remaining before the grand final at their home ground.
The Wellington Blaze also made a big move up the ladder courtesy of two away wins against the Auckland Hearts, with the return of White Ferns stars Melie Kerr and Sophie Devine making the difference as they helped get the capital's campaign back on track.
The Hearts consequently now drop from second to fourth, equal with the Blaze on 13 points, but ranked marginally behind on overall net run-rate.
The HBJ Shield regular season consists of 10 rounds, the top-two qualifiers proceeding to a winner-takes-all grand final at Dunedin's University Oval on March 1.
The competition will resume on Saturday, February 8 in New Plymouth, Auckland and Wellington.
Meanwhile, the country's White Ferns can head to this week's ODI series at the Basin Reserve in good one-day form as they get ready to contest the history-laden Rose Bowl against Australia.
Bates and Kerr both chalked up match-winning centuries over the weekend, while spinner Carson's one-day bag of 5-24 in Dunedin was just shy of her career-best haul of 5-17.
Maddy Green (Auckland) remains the top overall runscorer in the HBJ Shield with 325 runs from six innings and Carson is in a four-way tie with Ocean Bartlett (Central), Xara Jetly (Wellington) and Bree Illing (Auckland) - the sole pace bowler in the group - on 13 wickets at the top of the bowling statistics.
The Women's Super Smash begins on Boxing Day at Hamilton's Seddon Park.