Northern Spirit v Auckland Hearts at Cobham Oval, Whangarei
With several players making their Northern Spirit debut, captain Brooke Halliday won the toss and elected to bat first at Whangarei's Cobham Oval, top-scoring with a run-a-ball 32 in her side's 111 for six in 20 overs
It was the only match to get underway on the opening day of the New Zealand women's 2016/17 domestic season, however, rain halted the Auckland Hearts' chase at 32/1 in the fifth over, no further play proving possible. Had a further four balls been possible, the Hearts would have been in line for a DLS win
Scorecard
Fourteen-year-old gun Nensi Patel, from Tauranga, was the youngest on show making her debut for Spirit, although she neither got a chance in the match to face a delivery nor bowl. Likened to a young Kane Williamson in terms of preternatural ability, Patel was named tournament MVP at NZC's National Primary School Girls Cup this time last year, after scoring two unbeaten centuries and finishing as the second highest wicket-taker. She moved to Bay of Plenty from India with her family as a young child and began playing the game at Tauranga Primary School in Year 4.
Others on Spirit debut included Tauranga-based WHITE FERN Samantha Curtis (against her former Hearts teammates); Scotland reps Kari Carswell and Katie McGill; and South African ODI and T20 wicketkeeperBernadine Bezuidenhout.
The Hearts, meanwhile, boasted a strong line-up including five current or recent WHITE FERNS under experienced captain Victoria Lind. Twenty-two-year-old Feala Pula, who also represents Samoa at ICC East-Asia Pacific level, bowled and fielded well on her T20 debut for the Hearts, claiming a wicket, a catch, and ensuring Sam Curtis was run out for no score.
Wellington Blaze v Canterbury Magicians at the Basin Reserve, Wellington and the Central Hinds v Otago Sparks at Pukekura Park, New Plymouth were both abandoned without a ball bowled.
Points table
