ROUND TWO
Northern Spirit v Central Hinds at St Paul's Collegiate, Hamilton, 1 December 2017
After having shocked the Canterbury Magicians first-up last Friday, this time it was Northern Spirit’s turn to be upset as the young Central Hinds put up a torrid all-round performance to get themselves on the board with a seven-wicket win.
Heads it is! @CDCricket Hinds have won the toss and put us in to bat 🏏#ThatsTheSpirit pic.twitter.com/ZnoeG1i5Im
— Northern Districts (@ndcricket) December 1, 2017
With captain Anlo van Deventer returning from a hand injury (split webbing in Saturday's Hallyburton Johnstone Shield against Wellington Blaze requiring stitches) that had seen her sit out most of last weekend, a team effort with the ball held hosts Northern Spirit to 130 for two. All the Spirit batsmen got starts, but momentum was interrupted in the middle stages as Mikaela Greig picked up both the openers, after captain Nat Dodd and Katie Gurrey had shared a 60-run stand for the opening wicket.
Stylish WHITE FERN Sam Curtis and dangerous keeper-batsman Bernadine Bezuidenhout (above) took Spirit through to 130 to two without further loss, and the Spirit would have backed their chances of defending that total at St Paul's, on the outskirts of Hamilton, against a distinctly young side coming off three losses in the season's opening weekend.
However, the Hinds then gave the Spirit a batting lesson, opener Jess Watkin blasting her maiden T20 half century off just 31 balls and raising the milestone in thumping fashion with her third six of the innings, caning Mereana Hyde for 18 off the over.
Although Watkin's whirlwind innings would end when she was stumped in the very next over after a quick 66, the damage had been done. WHITE FERN Hannah Rowe joined Kerry Tomlinson (21*) to tick off the remaining 33 runs required, Rowe finding the winning boundary with almost a quarter of the chase to spare for a resounding seven-wicket victory.
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Hannah Rowe finished it off. PHOTOSPORT
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