STATISTICS: Milestones and statistics from round three of the Action cricket twenty20 and one-day competition.
All the third round matches were played at the New Zealand Cricket complex at Lincoln, with all teams playing one match on each of the three grounds, Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln Green and Lincoln No.3.
Sarah Carnachan (Auckland Hearts), Holly MacDonald (Central Hinds), Jacinta Coleman (Northern Spirit) and Ashleigh White and Rebecca Henderson (Otago Sparks) all made their debut during the round. All the players would have been familiar with their surroundings as they had all participated the National Women's Under 21 Tournament which had been completed at the same venue a week beforehand.
The Northern Spirit emphatically broke their run of fourteen straight losses in the Action Cricket T20 (no result matches excepted) to register comfortable wins in both their matches against the Otago Sparks. The first match on Lincoln Green saw both teams register their highest score against each other with Hannah Trollip and Nicola Browne putting together a record third wicket partnership of 64 to ensure the win. Earlier Victoria Abbott has scored the fastest fifty for the Sparks in just 33 balls to ensure a stiff target for the Spirit to chase. In the second match Nicola Browne claimed the first fourwicket bag for the Northern Spirit in their 29 match history.
The Auckland Hearts had not beaten the Central Stags in their previous six T20 matches since the inception of the T20 league but prevailed twice by eight wickets to maintain their challenge for the title. Stafanie Taylor became only the second Hearts batter after Ingrid Cronin-Knight to score two half-centuries in a season when she finished unbeaten on sixty in the second match. Taylor and Katie Perkins had added 97 for the third wicket when the win was achieved thus depriving them of the opportunity to score the second century partnership for the Hearts in T20.
Sandee Hui had a torrid time playing against her former team. In the two matches she conceded runs at the rate of two runs a ball as she went for 58 runs off her 4.5 overs.
The Canterbury Magicians prevailed in two low scoring encounters with the Wellington Blaze. Their total of 98 for 7 in the second match is the second lowest to be successfully defended in T20 history. The Auckland Hearts had a 3 run win over the Otago Sparks last season after scoring just 89. Michelle Bunkall was primarily responsible for restricting the Magicians finishing with four wickets in her four over spell.
Career-best performances with the bat were recorded by Hannah Trollip (46) and Anna Peterson (43*) for the Northern Spirit. Victoria Abbott with 53* for the Otago Sparks and Kerry-Anne Tomlinson with 47 for the Central Hinds also had their best performances while Stafanie Taylor equalled her best with 60 not out for the Hearts. Nicola Browne (4 for 17), Michelle Bunkall (4 for 14) and Felicity Leydon-Davis (3 for 21) had career-best returns with the ball.
The highlight of the Action Cricket Cup was the thrilling, but ultimately unsuccessful chase, by the Wellington Blaze of the 290 scored by the Canterbury Magicians on Lincoln Green. Elizabeth Perry matched Amy Satterthwaite in scoring a century only for her team to finish an agonising four runs short. For both players it was their maiden one day century with Satterthwaite bringing her hundred up in 109 balls while Perry's was marginally faster in 105 balls.
The 576 runs scored in the match bettered the 565 scored between the Magicians and the Northern Spirit in Whangarei in 2009-10. Canterbury's total of 290 has only been beaten on four occasions previously with the Magicians' total of 302 against the Sparks in 1998-99 being the highest.
Centuries have been scored in both innings of a match only twice before and Rebecca Rolls was involved both times. In the 2005-06 season she scored 118 at Queenstown only for Paula Flannery to score 110 and carry the Otago Sparks to victory. The following season the result was reversed as it was Rolls turn to score 110 in a winning chase after Suzie Bates had earlier mauled the Auckland Hearts attack in scoring an unbeaten 183 in a total of 274.
The record seventh wicket stand for the Northern Spirit was the standout feature of the Spirits defeat of the Otago Sparks. Rhiana Vincent was joined by her skipper, Morna Nielsen, with the Spirit struggling at 86 for 6. Together they added 122 runs to pass the all-time seventh wicket record stand of 106 recorded by Elizabeth Scurr and Suzie Bates for the Otago Sparks against the Auckland Hearts at North Harbour Stadium in the 2003-04 season.
Nicola Browne then recorded just the third five wicket bag for the Spirit as the Sparks were beaten by 80 runs, the largest margin of victory for the Spirit over the Sparks when batting first.
The third match was a low scoring affair with the Central Hinds being dismissed for their fourth lowest total against the Auckland Hearts of just 83. Earlier Auckland Hearts had been dismissed for 140 with Hannah Rowe in her first bowl in the Action Cricket Cup finishing with an impressive 4 for 17. Only Rachel Pullar with 4 for 14 for the Sparks has better figures for her first bowling effort. Stafanie Taylor matched Rowe's figures as the Hinds batting subsided in reply.
Amy Satterthwaite (124*), Elizabeth Perry (101), Morna Nielsen (79*) and Rhiana Vincent (41) all achieved career-best scores while Nicola Browne (5 for 31), Hannah Rowe and Stafanie Taylor (both 4 for 17) and Georgia Guy (3 for 11) all recorded their best bowling figures in the Action Cricket Cup.
