2023/24 HALLYBURTON JOHNSTONE SHIELD
Round 4
Sunday, 26 November 2023
Seddon Park, Hamilton
NORTHERN DISTRICTS beat WELLINGTON BLAZE by 57 runs
Northern Districts: 5 points
Images | PHOTOSPORT
Backing up after a night game, the Blaze and Northern Districts teams were up for another big fight on Seddon Park's silky surface. But after Blaze's record-shattering performance on the previous day, this time fortunes would be completely reversed.
Caitlin Gurrey | PHOTOSPORT
Northern captain Eimear Richardson won the toss this time, opting to bat first, just as her counterpart had chosen to do so on the previous day.
She would go on to top-score with an unbeaten 57* after three of her top four all got good starts, albeit each missing out on a half ton themselves.
Opener Bernadine Bezuidenhout had reached 40 before Xara Jetly trapped her at 101/2.
That snuffed out the second-wicket stand of 76 with Caitlin Gurrey (46).
PHOTOSPORT
Gurrey's third-wicket partnership with Jess Watkin was over too soon, but Watkin went on to blast 41 off just 35 balls before she offered up an easy return catch to fellow spinner Nicole Baird at 155/4 in the 31st over.
Jess Watkin | PHOTOSPORT
The wickets just weren't coming quickly enough for the Blaze's liking, and that was Richardson's cue to add some late pain to their endeavours.
The hosts batted out their 50 overs just five wickets down, setting the Wellingtonians a chase of 245, or just under five runs an over.
Jess McFadyen and Rebecca Burns got that well underway with a 60-run opening stand, broken when a running mix-up saw a sprawling Burns run out on 32.
That quickly became three down when, after yesterday's big maiden century and record stand, non-striker Georgia Plimmer came back down to Earth with a thud, run out for just two runs today, with McFadyen left kicking herself at the loss of two valuable partners.
Jess McFadyen | PHOTOSPORT
Keeper Bezuidenhout had finished off both big breakthroughs and Northern was ecstatic to have two dangerwomen gone.
McFadyen had a big role to play now, and recomposed herself to march on to the 20th over before Watkin (3/39) struck with her first wicket of the afternoon, Sam Barriball pouncing on a nicely-judged low catch.
When Watkin got Leigh Kasperek as well at 105/4, it was game on.
PHOTOSPORT
Kate Chandler put up some rearguard resistance with a knock of 40, but wickets started to tumble regularly at the other end, and the Blaze found themselves bowled out for 188 in the 46th over to be all square on the weekend's ledger, a bonus point victory to Wellington on Saturday and a bonus point victory to Northern on the Sunday.
