2024/25 HALLYBURTON JOHNSTONE SHIELD
Round 6
Sunday 15 December 2024
University of Otago Oval, Dunedin
OTAGO SPARKS defeated NORTHERN DISTRICTS by 186 runs
- bonus point win -
Points in this round:
Otago Sparks 5
Northern Districts 0
Central Hinds 5
Wellington Blaze 5
Auckland Hearts 0
Canterbury Magicians 0
SELECTED MILESTONES
Third highest winning margin in Otago Sparks List A cricket
28th List A Century for the one and only Suzie Bates ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/k0S3AtXnSx
— Otago Cricket (@OtagoCricket) December 15, 2024
Suzie Bates: 28th List A century
Suzie Bates: 150 List A career catches
Polly Inglis: 50 List A career wicketkeeping dismissals
Eden Carson: second List A five-wicket bag
All images: PHOTOSPORT
SNAPSHOT: Six rounds, six bonus-point victories, and there are now two teams who can not catch them on the table.
How good is it to be an Otago Sparks supporter right now?
And, the scale of this victory was their most impressive yet this summer, piling 276 on the tins at Uni Oval, then rolling Northern Districts for just 70.
Oh, and after having lost the toss and been sent in.
Legendary opener Suzie Bates was the star of the day with a run-a-ball century at the top, batting into the 38th over for her 107.
By then, her side was 201/6 and in charge, as usual this season.
Northern had their moments, with Marama Downes putting herself on a hat-trick ball with her first two deliveries of the match.
The hat-trick was averted, but she got another big wicket in the seventh over as she took out the home captain Felicity Robertson as well, sitting on hot interim figures of 11/3 inside the power play.
But Bates and Polly Inglis settled the dust down, with a punchy 51-stand for the fourth wicket.
It took a runout to separate them, then Olivia Gain strode in and put on a century stand with Bates for the next wicket.
Crisis averted as the runs flowed.
Northern fought back with late wickets - Downes taking two catches to go with her three wickets, and managed to bowl out the competition leaders and defending champs in the 48th over, but they couldn't do enough to contain.
Then, a disastrous chase blew them off the park, in just 24.5 overs.
The top score of 17 was shared by Jess Watkin and Nensi Patel, in a total with no substantial partnerships: the Sparks simply would not allow one to develop.
The Sparks required only four bowlers to do the job and chief among them was WHITE FERNS spinner Eden Carson who helped herself to a five-wicket bag, finishing with 5/24 - just shy of her 5/17 career best several seasons ago.
After another dominant day in Dunedin, the Sparks have one foot in the Grand Final that will take place at the same ground on 1 March 2025 as all teams now switch into Dream11 Super Smash mode for the holiday season.
