Northern Districts beat Otago and Auckland overcame Central to stay undefeated in the women’s National Under 21 tournament in Lincoln.
Wellington were the other team to taste success in round three, getting their first win of the tournament by overcoming Canterbury.
Northern Districts v Otago
Northern were once again too good with the ball, as they held Otago to 130 in defence of their first-innings total of 196.
It was a far from convinving display with the bat from Northern though, who heavily relied on their middle and lower order to see them through to a challenging total.
Coming in at six, Gurrey was the best of the batsmen with 47, while captain Natalie Dodd chipped in late with a handy 27. After 43.1 overs they were all out four short of the 200 mark, but the bowlers now had something to defend.
And defend they did. Despite an opening stand between Caitlin Blakely (19) and Polly Inglis (27) worth 41, the southerners were unable to maintain that momentum and lost wickets at regular intervals.
The main reason for this was the sublime bowling of Emma Parker, who seemed to take wicket as will and finished with astounding figures of six for 19 from ten overs.
With eight balls remaining in the match the Otago side were all out, giving Northern a 66 run victory.
Auckland v Central Districts
The Auckland top order continued its dominance on day three, posting an imposing total of 230 for five. In response Central were dismissed for 164 after 48 overs.
Auckland opener Shahri was once again a force to be reckoned with, making 75 from 115 balls to anchor her side’s innings through to the 40th over.
Her fine effort was complimented by a number of cameos, including knocks from Alene Kelly (41) and Maddy Green (32). The middle order also prospered and at the end of their 50 overs Auckland had set Central a very challenging target.
In Central’s pursuit, Anlo van de Vanter kicked things off nicely with an innings of 39, but partnerships were not forthcoming and Auckland quickly took control.
Maneka Singh made 29 late on, but it was too little too late for Central, who succumbed to a 66 run victory.
Canterbury v Wellington
Wellington moved off the bottom of the points table with a four wicket victory over Canterbury in a low scoring match.
Batting first, Canterbury’s batsmen couldn’t get going and in the end were dismissed for 95 after 29.2 overs. Wellington’s Rebecca Burns was lethal with the ball, finishing with figures of four for 18 from ten overs.
However, Canterbury made it tough for their opposition in their pursuit. Wellington lost six wickets , before Thamsyn Newton (9*) finally sealed the victory in the 29th over.
Schedule for round four
Auckland v Canterbury
Northern Districts v Central Districts
Wellington v Otago
