While there’s no such thing as a sure thing in cricket, the Auckland Hearts are just one sweet victory away from getting their hands on the historic Hallyburton Johnstone Shield.
Two one-day matches are left for each of New Zealand's six domestic women's teams — round nine this Saturday, round 10 on Sunday — but the Hearts need things to click into place in just one of their back-to-back fixtures against Northern Spirit to lock up the 2017/18 title.
The Hearts are in pole. MButcher/NZC
A win is worth four points and, as it stands, they already have an eight-point buffer — plus a solid net run rate advantage, should it come down to it.
That means the Canterbury Magicians and Wellington Blaze, just one step behind the Mags, must not only be praying for Northern Spirit to beat the Hearts back-to-back this weekend, but for themselves to conjure up at least one bonus point in their must-wins.
Blaze not put out, yet. MButcher/NZC
Both the Blaze and the Mags have gone five from eight this season and, with the two sides playing each other this weekend, their mission to beat the maths only gets tougher.
Kate Ebrahim has been prolific for the Mags. PHOTOSPORT
The rampaging Hearts are meanwhile away to a team that’s at the wrong end of the table, Spirit with just a 25 per cent win record in the one-day format this season. Likewise the Otago Sparks and Central Hinds will be playing only for pride this weekend, already out of contention.
The Aucklanders can also lay claim to both the top run-maker and top wicket-taker of the one-day season to date.
Top summer for Huddleston. MButcher/NZC
WHITE FERNS seamer Holly Huddleston has been in top touch with both bat and ball, and heads into the weekend on 18 wickets — three more than Blaze leggie Deanna Doughty — at a superb 11.38 average, to go with her valuable 81 runs down the order.
Green leads from the front. NZC/MButcher
Hearts captain and fellow WHITE FERN Maddy Green is the leading batsman, her 357 runs from eight games at a 59.50 average shading Canterbury Magician Kate Ebrahim (née Broadmore, 325 runs from seven games at 81.25). Both have scored four half centuries.
Otago Sparks mainstay Katey Martin. PHOTOSPORT
Otago Sparks veteran Katey Martin will be looking to close the gap on them with 322 at 53.66 from her seven games and Mags allrounder Frances Mackay just a fraction behind with 321 at 53.50, also from seven games.
Consistent Cantabrian Frances Mackay. PHOTOSPORT
Lauren Down meanwhile continues to press hard at the top of the Auckland Hearts’ order, coming off an unbeaten 66 in the last round to take the right-hander to 232 runs at 33.14, just sneaking into the top 10.
Despite being just 22, Down is in the midst of her seventh summer for the Hearts who have claimed the one-day cup twice in the last three seasons, although it’s the Magicians who are defending champions after their win in the Final last summer.
The Mags broke the Hearts' stranglehold last summer. PHOTOSPORT
This season, Finals were booted out the door in favour of introducing more rounds in the women’s twin one-day and T20 comps that let all the players and teams get more cricket out of the home summer overall.
If the Hearts do take out the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield this weekend, there’s still another very important piece of silverware up for grabs, too.
A whole six rounds remain to find the 2018 champion in the concurrent NZC Women’s T20 race.
The fight for that title will come down to a fascinating crescendo, all six teams converging in Lincoln from the 8th to the 11th of February for five back-to-back rounds (including one doubleheader day) — playing each other in a tournament-style round robin.
All teams will head to Lincoln for the final showdowns. PHOTOSPORT
Before then, there’s one last home game coming up for Wellington Blaze (4pm this Friday 26 January at Karori Park against the Magicians), the Otago Sparks (Centennial Oval in Oamaru against the Central Hinds at 4pm) and Northern Spirit (3.30pm against the Hearts at St Paul’s Collegiate on the outskirts of Hamilton).
Spirit's Bezuidenhout produces the goods. PHOTOSPORT
The Blaze and Hearts are currently deadlocked on 12 points at the top of the T20 table, but all four other teams are capable of overtaking them — Northern Spirit’s former South Africa international Bernadine Bezuidenhout heading the run charts with 149 heading into this Friday, Mags superstar Amy Satterthwaite and Central Hinds powerhouse Jess Watkin in equal second spot with 108 and Hearts captain Green just behind them.
All the teams would dearly love to get that extra win up their sleeve this Friday — a psychological buffer before heading into the all-in fray at Lincoln.
