This was the fourteenth season of the Action Cricket Cup and its one day predecessors. Auckland Hearts became the eighth second placed qualifier to win the final. This was the Hearts fifth title having previously won four seasons in a row from 1999-00 to 2002-03.
The Canterbury Magicians have qualified for every final except in 2009-10 when they finished third. They have won the competition outright on six occasions and shared it with the Wellington Blaze when the 2003-04 final was rained out. The Central Hinds won one final and were awarded the 2009-10 title as top qualifiers after the final was abandoned.
Stafanie Taylor scored just the second century in a final. Debbie Hockley has the highest score in a final scoring 141 for the Canterbury Magicians as they beat the Auckland Hearts in the first final back in the 1998-99 season.
The opening partnership of 113 between Taylor and Sam Curtis was a record for the Hearts against the Magicians. There have only been two higher partnerships in finals, both were also for the first wicket. Debbie Hockley and Paula Flannery added 154 for the Magicians in 1999-00 but were on the losing side as the Hearts prevailed while Philippa Gerrish and Maria Fahey had an unbeaten partnership of 129 as the Magicians won by 10 wickets over the Wellington Blaze in 2004-05.
The Action Cricket T20 competition has now been running for five seasons. The Magicians have now won the title on three occasions. This was the Hearts second final and their second loss. The Central Hinds and Wellington Blaze have each won one final.
There was no final in the first season of the T20 competition but in the four years that finals have been held the finalists in both the Action Cricket Cup and Action Cricket T20 have been the same on three occasions.
Auckland Hearts total of 84 is the lowest in a final. The Hearts also had the previous lowest total of 88 for 8 in the 2009-10 final.
Amy Satterthwaite's figures of 4 for 14 were the first time that a bowler has taken four wickets in a final. It was just the second occasion that a Magicians bowler has claimed four wickets, matching Erin Bermingham's figures against the Northern Spirit in 2009-10.
Frankie Mackay (Magicians) was the top runscorer in the Action Cricket Cup finishing with 320 runs, comfortably in front of team-mate Amy Satterthwaite on 271 runs. Liz Perry (Wellington Blaze) finished third on 188 runs. Rachel Candy finished with 12 wickets just ahead of fellow Magician Kelly Anderson with eleven. Andrea Stockwell (Wellington Blaze) was the leading wicketkeeper with four catches and five stumpings while Erin Bermingham (Magicians) had most outfield catches with four.
Amy Satterthwaite (124*) and Liz Perry (101) scored centuries during the season in addition to Stafanie Taylor's in the final. Nicola Browne (Northern Spirit) with 5 for 31 had the best bowling figures while Andrea Stockwell had the most outstanding 'keeping performance by taking 3 catches and making 2 stumpings against the Northern Spirit.
The batters with the leading strike rates in the Action Cricket Cup were Suzie Bates (Otago) 99.39 followed by Amy Satterthwaite (89.73) and the Wellington pair Megan Wakefield (88.13) and Liz Perry (86.63). Tanya Morrison (Otago) was the most economical bowler giving up just 2.64 runs per over with Georgia Guy (Auckland) 2.74 and the two Magician bowlers Rachel Candy (2.89) and Erin Bermingham (2.95) close behind.
The leading runscorers in the Action Cricket T20 were Sarah Taylor (Wellington Blaze) with 306 runs, Stafanie Taylor (291), Frankie Mackay (288), Rachel Priest (Central Stags) 283 and Katie Martin (Otago Sparks) 276. Paula Gruber (Auckland Hearts) was top wicket-taker with eleven scalps ahead of the Magicians pair of Rachel Candy and Kelly Anderson with ten. The Magicians 'keeper, Meg Kendal made most dismissals with 8 catches and seven stumpings which is a new season record comfortably beating the previous record of twelve dismissals. Rachel Candy capped a fine season by finishing top outfielder with five catches.
Rachel Priest innings of 106 was the first century scored in the T20 competition while Stafanie Taylor's innings of 86 not out was the second highest during the season and one of three half-centuries scored by her. Kate Baxter (Central Hinds) with 4 for 11 had the best bowling figures while Maneka Singh (Central), Nicola Browne (Northern), Kate Stiven (Otago) and Michelle Bunkall (Wellington) also captured four wickets in an innings.
Amy Satterthwaite (115.22), Victoria Abbott (Otago Sparks) 105.61 and three Hearts batters, Katie Perkins (103.03), Maddie Green (102.70) and Stafanie Taylor (101.75) had the highest strike rates for batters who scored a minimum of 100 runs. Of the bowlers who bowled at least 100 balls Sian Ruck (Wellington Blaze) was the most economical conceding just 3.83 runs per over. Erin Bermingham (Canterbury) 4.09, Kate Broadmore (Central) 4.49, Lucie Doolan (Wellington 4.54) and Tanya Morrison (Otago) 4.67 were the other most economical bowlers.
