2023/24 HALLYBURTON JOHNSTONE SHIELD
Round 2
Sunday, 19 November 2023
Fitzherbert Park, Palmerston North
CENTRAL HINDS v CANTERBURY MAGICIANS
No result - washed out in second innings
Central Hinds 2 points, Canterbury Magicians 2 points
Selected milestones
List A debut : Nicola Clayton (below)
Laura Hughes : Equal most stumpings in a Canterbury Magicians List A innings (4)
Images | PHOTOSPORT
The unexpected appearance of retired WHITE FERN Erin Bermingham spiced up a weather-blighted round two rematch in Palmerston North.
It was a shame the match didn't go the full distance, after the rain stopped falling for just long enough to let the teams get in the makings of a brilliant contest.
After waiting until after lunchtime to get on (the match reduced to 28 overs per side), the Canterbury Magicians won the toss and put the Hinds into bat.
It was just the first of the many things to go right for visiting captain Laura Hughes on the day, despite a difficult build-up - her bowling ranks drastically depleted.
That was how Birmingham had returned from the blue to the side, after an absence of several years.
Missy Banks had rolled her ankle on the previous morning. Jacinta Savage was carrying a niggle that prevented her from bowling. Others like Kate Anderson were already ruled out by their own injuries.
Yet the legspinning combo of Bermingham and Sarah Asmussen (below) proved to be dynamite, the unlikely pairing taking seven wickets between them for just 52 runs.
Hughes profited with four stumpings, three of them off Birmingham (who took 4/31) and one of Asmussen (3/21) to equal the Canterbury record for most stumpings in an innings. It was just one short of retired Otago Spark Katey Martin's record for most stumpings in any Hallyburton Johnstone Shield innings.
Birmingham had taken three hauls of four wickets in her lengthy one-day career before 2019: now, she suddenly had one more, in a flurry of big wickets and with figures of 4/31 from third change.
The Hinds had been made to scrabble for their runs. Mikaela Greig backed up her heroics (with Georgia Atkinson) on the previous day with a top score of 39, pelted off 33 balls in a typically positive fashion.
But no one else could stay with her this time, as the Magicians cast their spinny spell.
The Hinds were rolled in 25 overs, for 134 - but then made a brilliant start with the ball themselves, when it was the Magicians' turn to bat in the damp conditions.
Claudia Green was hooping it again and quickly had the Magicians 2/4 in the chase with her in-swing.
Hannah Rowe (above) backed up with a wicket in her third over... but just as things were getting spicy, the rain was on its way again.
With the Magicians 23/3 after seven of the allotted 28 overs, that was it for the match. The split points were enough for the Hinds to leap into second spot on the table, however - just behind the Hearts who had meanwhile snared a bonus point in their weather-affected game against ND.
