2023/24 HALLYBURTON JOHNSTONE SHIELD
Round 8
Sunday 4 February 2024
Cello Basin Reserve, Wellington
WELLINGTON BLAZE beat CENTRAL HINDS by 24 runs
Wellington Blaze : 4 points
Central Hinds : 0 points
Selected milestones
- Jess McFadyen: 3rd List A century
- Jess McFadyen: carried her bat
- Nicole Baird: Career best List A score
- Hannah Rowe: Career best List A score
Another day, another Blaze victory with Jess McFadyen's third one-day ton making it two out of two against the Central Hinds at the crunch end of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield. It was enough to put paid to the Hinds' hopes of emulating their Dream11 Super Smash form with a berth in the one-day Final as well.
McFadyen carried her bat after captain Leigh Kasperek elected to bat, the weather having improved overnight but still with some early juice in the pitch.
Rosemary Mair struck early for the Hinds, luring Rebecca Burns into an edge behind at 17/1 in the fifth over, but it would be one of the strike bowler's last acts in the must-win contest after she pulled a quadriceps muscle, bowling only three of her allotted overs and unable to bat in the second innings.
The Hinds worked admirably together to cover the loss, Natalie Dodd cycling through seven other bowling options in her attack, with youngsters Anna Gaging and Ocean Bartlett both picking up two wickets.
Gaging's inswinger to dismiss Melie Kerr on just 14 at 49/2 was a beauty, but Georgia Plimmer was able to stick around for the next 45 minutes to give McFadyen support in a 52-run stand.
Bartlett stopped her on 32, but Kate Chandler (27) and later, a career-best unbeaten 32* from Nicole Baird at eight ensured that McFadyen kept ticking off targets.
The veteran keeper/batter reached her third List A century in the 47th over with her seventh boundary, off 118 balls.
She wasn't done yet, carrying on for an unbeaten 122* as she carried her bat - a rarity in the game, to help her side hoist 271/6 off their 50 overs.
That meant a required run rate of almost run a ball for the Hinds, and they started well. Captain Dodd (76) and Georgia Atkinson (44) put on a century stand for the first wicket, reaching 121/0 in the 25th over.
After rookie Phoenix Williams broke through, Emma McLeod kept the runs flowing with her 37 and, after the loss of Dodd, built an entertaining 71-run stand with Hannah Rowe.
But that was where the wheels fell off for the Hinds, at 200/2 in the 40th over. The all-too familiar scenario of losing wickets in a hurry to the Blaze's blistering spin attack replayed itself again.
McLeod fell as Xara Jetly (3/46) trapped her. Two quick wickets to Baird followed, and a runout off her bowling as well after a calling muddle from the batters.
Melie Kerr then got her revenge on Gaging, and the Hinds had lost five batters in a hurry for single-figure scores.
With Mair unable to bat, the game was over, the visitors having crumbled from 200/3 to 247/9 in eight overs.
Meanwhile the Blaze were still in the driving seat on the points table, stopping the Hearts from snatching the lead at the top of the table, and ready to sort out who would host where in the final two rounds in a fortnight's time.
Macro alias: CompetitionCentre
