Seven-wicket wins to both the Central Hinds and Auckland Hearts have kept the two high-fliers on top in this season's rapidly diverging Hallyburton Johnstone Shield national one-day competition.
ROUND FIVE RESULTS
Auckland Hearts defeated Otago Sparks by 7 wickets (rain reduced match)
Scores
Wellington Blaze defeated Northern Spirit by 9 wickets
Scores
Central Hinds defeated Canterbury Magicians by 7 wickets
Auckland Hearts defeated Otago Sparks by 7 wickets (rain reduced match)
Scores
Wellington Blaze defeated Northern Spirit by 9 wickets
Scores
Defending champions the Hearts also picked up a valuable bonus point in their rain-affected DLS victory over the Otago Sparks in Dunedin, bringing them back to equal points with the Hinds — who maintain number one status with a marginally better net run rate after cruising home against the Canterbury Magicians at Hagley Oval this afternoon.
The well executed away win was the perfect way for Hinds captain Anlo van Deventer (above) to celebrate her 50th one-dayer for the team, albeit getting out for a duck to a debutante was not likely to have been part of the pre-match plan.
Meanwhile in Dunedin, celebrations for WHITE FERN, Sparks legend and captain Katey Martin didn't go quite to plan either, as 33-year-old Martin overtook Canterbury's Chris Harris (men's) as the most capped player in New Zealand Domestic one-day cricket history (men's and women's) with her 155th women's List A appearance for the Sparks.
Martin was also dismissed for no score, departing for a golden duck as she was caught off 17-year-old Skye Bowden.
Martin did, however, go one to claim her 100th catch in the Hearts innings when she dismissed form Hearts opener Lauren Down for just seven.
The popular keeper-batsman, who debuted in the 2000/201 season, has represented the Sparks from the outset of a career in which has also played 72 One-Day Internationals for the New Zealand WHITE FERNS.
