2024/25 HALLYBURTON JOHNSTONE SHIELD
Round 7
Saturday 8 February 2025
Cello Basin Reserve, Wellington
WELLINGTON BLAZE lost to CANTERBURY MAGICIANS by 8 wickets
Bonus point win
Wellington Blaze : 0 points
Canterbury Magicians : 5 points
All images: PHOTOSPORT
Selected Milestones
Kate Ebrahim - second List A five-wicket bag (first in Hallyburton Johnstone Shield)
Isla McKenzie - List A debut
Sam Mackinder - List A debut for Wellington Blaze (previously Central Hinds)
Libby Stead - List A debut
On a day that saw three debuts, it was an indefatigable 33-year-old veteran who once again stole the show.
Kate Ebrahim produced her first List A five-for since 2014, and her first in New Zealand, and first as an off-spinner (having converted from pace bowling last year) to upend the freshly re-crowned Dream11 Super Smash champions at their home ground.
Blaze was skippered by Rebecca Burns, and was without Melie Kerr (WPL) as well as frontline bowlers Xara Jetly and Leigh Kasperek (rehabbing their respective hand injuries).
Georgia Plimmer was also unavailable after a stress fracture last year.
In came 17-year-old Isla McKenzie on debut, the young allrounder having impressed at nationals for both Wellington U17 and U19 Women and having been crowned Club Cricketer of the Year in the Women’s Premier Grade in 2023/24, with a best of 7/16.
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Sam Mackinder also had a chance to add to her sole cap for the Hinds before transferring to the capital, where she had joined the champion Super Smash set-up.
Burns won the toss, and Blaze got a good enough start despite a brutally accurate runout of Jess McFadyen just after the first 50 runs had gone up on the Don Neely Scoreboard.
Fellow opener Hannah Francis, whose speed between the wickets had also been McFadyen's undoing, marched on to 53, and rebuilt in another good partnership for the second wicket with Caitlin King.
But Ebrahim was having none of it. She came on in the 18th over, pairing with debutante Libby Stead who had been making a very tidy impression with her string of dot balls dialling some pressure up on the hosts.
A few overs into her spell, Ebrahim put herself on an unconverted hat-trick by stopping Francis, trapping her at 98/2 with some delicious flight.
She removed Burns for a golden duck in the same manner, next ball.
Things got even more interesting when she dismissed Jess Kerr caught and bowled in her next over, holding on as in-form Kerr hammered the ball back at her shoulder.
Three big wickets, and the Blaze were now 108/4 halfway through their innings.
Ebrahim was the bowler when the next wicket fell soon after, King run out in a horrible mix-up with her ball-watching partner Mackinder.
Mackinder didn't last much longer, miscuing Ebrahim to offer a regulation catch to Izzy Sharp at 118/6 in the 30th over.
The wheels had fallen off for the hosts, the run rate slowed to a trundle, and then Sarah Asmussen struck twice in the 37th. Ebrahim (10-3-17-5) had already removed Gemma Sims for her bag.
Blaze limped to 141 all out in 44 overs, Stead again proving tight with the ball and combining well with Jess Simmons to keep the squeeze on at the end.
The Magicians required only four batters to chase that down, and they hared the work evenly to pocket a bonus point in just the 37th over.
