Otago Sparks on top after Day 2 of White Ferns Super Smash

With yesterday of the Burger King Super Smash being washed out due to rain, the second day packed more than enough action to make up for it.

Otago Sparks versus Central Hinds: The first match of the day saw the Otago Sparks take on the Central Hinds. Suzie Bates (43 off 50) and Leigh Kasperek (54* off 37) batted brilliantly in the first innings for Otago. The two lifted up their teams total to 129-4, while no other batter reaching double-digits.

Kasperek then took two wickets too. The Central Hinds' were restricted to 106-9 , with their captain A van Deventer top-scoring with a 29-ball-33. Otago won by 23 runs.

Brief Scores: Otago Sparks (L. Kasperek 54*, C. Green 1-10) beat Central Hinds (A. van Deventer 33, L. Kasperek 2-12) by 23 runs.

 

Auckland Hearts versus Canterbury Magicians: In a thrilling second match, Auckland took on Canterbury. Batting first, Auckland posted 106-5 on the board. Maddie Green top-scored with 34-ball-38*. She was well-supported by Sara McGlashan (20 off 14). Lea Tahuhu in particular, bowled brilliantly for Canterbury. She finished with figures of 1-12, including a maiden over.

The Canterbury batters though, failed to fire. Opener K Nation was the highest scorer with 22, while Erin Birmingham was the only other batter to breech the 20-run barrier. They finished their innings on 100-7. For Auckland, Holly Huddleston bowled exceptionally well. She bested Tahuhu's figures by finishing on 2-7 off her four overs.

Brief Scores: Auckland Hearts (M. Green 38*, L. Tahuhu 1-12) beat Canterbury Magicians (K. Nation 22, H. Huddleston 2-7) by six runs.

 

Northern Spirit versus Wellington Blaze: Northern Spirit won by four wickets over Wellington Blaze. Batting first, Wellington posted 109-8 on the board. Thamsyn Newton top-scored for Wellington with a run-a-ball 34. No other batter reached 20 runs as Northern Spirit made regular breakthroughs. For the Spirit, E. Richardson and B. Perry finished with the identical figures of 2-16.

Chasing, Spirit lost a couple of wickets in quick succession, Amelia Kerr doing the damage. But Bernadine Bezuidenhout (30 off 36) and E. Richardson (43* off 45) held the innings together in a chase that went down to the wire. Spirit won with two balls and four wickets to spare. Kerr finished her spell with remarkable figures of 4-4.

Brief Score: Northern Spirit (E. Richardson 43*, A. Kerr 4-4) beat Wellington Blaze (T. Newton 34, E. Richardson 2-16) by four wickets.

 

Central Hinds versus Canterbury Magicians: Canterbury Magicians won the second game they played today by seven wickets, after losing the first one. Bowling first, they restricted Hinds to a low score of 66-10. None of the Hinds' batters were able to reach 20 runs. R. Mair top-scored with a patient 18* off 31 balls, while Natalie Dodd (10) was the only other batter to reach double figures. Lea Tahuhu and G. Sullivan ended with the same figures of 2-11 off three overs.

Chasing, Amy Satterthwaite (run-a-ball 27) and Erin Birmingham (23 off 27) scored the bulk of the runs. Kate Ebrahim then guided the team home with her 12* off 16 balls. Jess Watkin bowled well, taking two wickets for 13 runs, while Hannah Rowe also claimed a scalp.

Brief Scores: Canterbury Magicians (A. Satterthwaite 27, J. Watkin 2-13) beat Central Hinds (R. Mair 18*, L. Tahuhu 2-11) by seven wickets.

 

Wellington Blaze versus Auckland Hearts: Wellington Blaze too, bounced back in their second match of the day to defeat Auckland Hearts, who had just come off a win, by a narrow 2-run margin. Batting first, Wellington could only manage 123-5. Rachel Priest top-scored for them with a 26-ball-28, while Amelia Kerr (24) and E. Perry (23) also made valuable contributions. A. Kelly bowled economically for Auckland, finishing with figures of 1-18

Chasing, Sara McGlashan's 43 off 35 balls and Katie Perkins' 23-ball-29* looked to have set up Auckland for the win. However, towards the end of their innings, Auckland lost wickets in clusters and fell just two runs short of another win. Sophie Devine impressed with the ball after having a disappointing day with the bat. She finished with figures of 3-16.

Brief Scores: Wellington Blaze (R. Priest 28, A. Kelly 1-18) beat Auckland Hearts (S. McGlashan 43, S. Devine 3-16) by two runs.

 

Northern Spirits versus Otago Springs: In the last match of that day, Otago Springs beat Northern Spirits by a massive 57-run margin. Batting first, a 29-ball-40 from Leigh Kasperek, helped by a 23 from P. Inglis and a 20 from M. Cowan, guided Otago to the total of 125-7. Amazingly, four of those outs were run outs, and they all involved Sam Curtis. E. Richardson was again the pick of the bowlers for the Spirits. She finished with figures of 2-16, having dismissed both openers.

The chase should have been straightforward but, the Spirits completely collapsed. F. Leydon-Davis (16 off 36) and K. Anderson (24 off 33) were the only batters to reach double figures. The Spirits were bowled out 68 in the 19th over, meaning Otago won by 57 runs. The stand-out bowler for Otago was L. Griffith, who took three wickets for 10 runs.

Brief Scores: Otago Springs (L. Kasperek 40, E. Richardson 2-16) beat Northern Spirits (K. Anderson 24, L. Griffith 3-10) by 57 runs.

 

Otago Sparks occupy the top-spot on the table. They have 10 points to their name. Below them are Canterbury Magicians, then Auckland Hearts, followed by Wellington Blaze and Northern Spirit. These four teams have six points each, with run-rate being the differentiating factor between them. Last on the ladder is Central Hinds, with two points.