A powerhouse over recent seasons, the Canterbury Magicians are once again in a strong position ahead of the final weekend of the Women’s One Day competition.
After a rare season with no silverware last year, the Magicians (33 points) have come back stronger than ever in 2014-15 and won seven of their eight games to date. They’ve been led by a dominant top order in Frances Mackay, Amy Satterthwaite and Erin Bermingham, guiding their team to a confirmed finals berth on the 24th of January.
They’ll likely come up against familiar foes the Auckland Hearts (27) in the trophy match, who sit in second 10 points clear of the Otago Sparks (17) in third. The Hearts all but sealed their spot in the final with a seven wicket win over the Wellington Blaze, with an unbeaten 81 from Victoria Lind seeing them to their fifth win of the season.
The Central Hinds (15), Blaze (11) and Northern Spirit (6) round out the table, who all have opportunities to rise up the table depending on results in the last week of the round-robin.
The Blaze however hold a much stronger position in the Twenty20 competition, sitting in the box seat to pick up a home final. With each side having one match remaining, the Blaze and Sparks sit atop the ladder on 12 points each, but face each other in the final round. The loser will face a nervous wait, relying on a superior net-run-rate should either the Magicians or Hearts (both 8 points) win their matches.
While a chance at the silverware will be incentive enough, there’s also other motivations for the players with the White Ferns squad to face England at home to be named soon.
It will be a fortnight before the final weekend of the round-robin, which starts 16 January. The finals weekend is the following week.
One Day points table
Canterbury Magicians 33
Auckland Hearts 27
Otago Sparks 17
Central Hinds 15
Wellington Blaze 11
Northern Spirit 6
Points table: http://www.blackcaps.co.nz/domestic/points-tables/womens-domestic-one-day-competition
Twenty20 table
Wellington Blaze 12
Otago Sparks 12
Canterbury Magicians 8
Auckland Hearts 8
Northern Spirit 4
Central Hinds 4
Points table: http://www.blackcaps.co.nz/domestic/points-tables/womens-domestic-twenty20-competition
