Rosemary Mair's allround performance helps Hinds beat Hearts in Super Smash

Rosemary Mair shone with both bat and ball as the New Zealand pacer helped Central Hinds beat Auckland Hearts by 14 runs in their Super Smash match at Eden Park Outer Oval on Saturday (January 4).

Chasing a moderate target of 139, Hearts captain Anna Peterson and Holly Huddleston got off to a decent start as they added 44 runs inside eight overs. Hannah Rowe pulled back things as she got rid of Peterson (15). Katie Perkins came out only to see Huddleston's departure for a well-compiled 30, leaving Hearts at 53/2.

Perkins and Arlene Kelly then rebuilt the innings and took the side past 100 in 16.3 overs. Hinds again put brakes on Hearts' ticking scoreboard as Mair dismissed Perkins for 36 and bowled Kelly (26) in the last over to restrict Hearts on 124 for the loss of five wickets.

Earlier, Natalie Dodd's 43 and a run-a-ball 36 not out by Mair powered Hinds to post 138 for the loss of six wickets after opting to bat first. Hinds suffered an early hiccup as Kelly bowled Emily Cunningham cheaply for four. Skipper Jess Watkin and wicket-keeper Dodd settled in and stitched a 30-run partnership before Peterson dismissed Watkin (28).

In the middle overs, Hinds lost a couple of wickets before Mair and Dodd joined hands to take the side to a defendable total and along the way, Mair surpassed her highest T20 score that was 18 not out. For Hearts, Kelly and Bella Armstrong picked up two wickets each.

Brief scores: Central Hinds 138/6 in 20 overs (Natalie Dodd 43, Rosemary Mair 36*, Arlene Kelly 2-22) beat Auckland Hearts 124/5 in 20 overs (Katie Perkins 36, Holly Huddleston 30, Rosemary Mair 2-28) by 14 runs.