2022/23 HALLYBURTON JOHNSTONE SHIELD
ROUND THREE
Saturday 26 November 2022
University of Otago Oval, Dunedin
OTAGO SPARKS beat the CENTRAL HINDS by two runs on the last ball
The Central Hinds headed south and unbeaten as they prepared to take on last summer's champions in their first away fixture of 2022/23, captain Natalie Dodd winning the toss and sending hosts in the Otago Sparks to bat.
The Sparks made a cautious start against the tight Hinds opening attack, and were 11/0 when WHITE FERN Hannah Rowe struck in the fifth over.
The loss of Saffron Wilson brought Caitlin Blakely to the middle to join powerhouse Kate Ebrahim, and the new pair put on 66 for the second wicket.
Blakely's loss in the 16th over came amid an unfortunate case of the yips for Hinds pace bowler Monique Rees who struggled to find her line.
Rees sent down six wides in the over before getting the wicket, and went on to bowl another two wide balls in the marathon set to concede 15 from the over in total.
Dodd quickly spelled Rees as the ultra-experienced pair of Ebrahim and captain Felicity Leydon-Davis looked to seize their opportunity to push ahead.
Ebrahim (above, PHOTOSPORT), who now has more than 4000 runs in women's List A cricket, went on to reach 68 off 115 balls, a relatively sedate pace for the consistent opener who respected both the conditions and the opposition.
Leg-spinner Georgia Atkinson bowled Leydon-Davis around her legs at 122/3 before Jess Watkin got the key wicket of Ebrahim in the 38th at 169/4.
Opening bowler Claudia Green came back for a flurry and a runout off her bowling at the end, stopping Polly Inglis (above, PHOTOSPORT) who is now adding style down the order for the Sparks.
Inglis reached 43 while the Hinds ultimately restricted the Sparks to 245/9 in their 50 overs.
In reply, the Hinds lost their top four just 93 runs into the chase, Emma Black making two big, quick strikes at the top, including the big wicket of Natalie Dodd who played on.
First drop Jess Watkin galloped to a run-a-ball half century before she was sent back to the pavilion by Eden Carson, and halfway through the chase the visitors had a rebuilding job on their hands at 103/4.
By second drinks at the 35-over mark, the match was still in balance with the Central Hinds still requiring 73 runs off 15 overs at 4.87 per over, and capable batter Rowe in the middle with another genuine batter in the form of Kate Gaging.
Blakely had just made a timely dismissal for the hosts with Mikaela Greig caught on 41, stopping a torrid 34-ball knock with her handy wicket maiden.
Rowe already had a good start, and was now again in a position this season to do the job with the bat for her team, after her solid first round performance.
Blakely struck another key blow when she had Rowe caught on 38 in the 39th over, at 189/6. Now the pendulum has swung towards the south.
The Hinds were still in it if they could keep their composure, needing their last 50 runs off 55 balls, before Carson had another stellar moment as she trapped Gaging for the seventh wicket.
Career-best for Caitlin Blakely | PHOTOSPORT
Now the tail was exposed. Blakely (4-48 in a career-best performance) took the eighth and ninth wickets to put herself on for a maiden bag, and have the Hinds nine down - still needing 28 off 20 balls.
The Hinds' tail kept their composure, and struck a vital 10 runs off Blakely's last over, the 49th.
It went down to the wire, Melissa Hansen needing a boundary from Kate Ebrahim's final delivery of the match if the Hinds were to get up. But with the Sparks' field up, Hansen's lustily struck drive was only worth a single as the Sparks took a thrilling two-run victory for another four points.
It was the Hinds' first loss of 2022/23.
