Blistering Bates, Devastating Devine and (run)-glutton Gurrey headline Day 2 of Super Smash

In the first game on Saturday (December 14) between Auckland Hearts and Otago Sparks, Holly Huddleston’s two wickets in the final over of the chase— with Sparks needing 11 runs to win—sealed a thrilling seven run win for Hearts. Hannah Darlington and Bella James had their stumps rearranged by the fast bowler, who went on to concede only three runs off the final six deliveries.

In defense of 141, Arlene Kelly and Anna Peterson got Hearts off to a wonderful start, reducing Sparks to 11 for 2 in 4.5 overs. Suzie Bates and Hayley Jensen then shared a 113-run partnership to take their team within touching distance of the total. Bates slammed 76 off 64 deliveries before Kelly made her presence felt again, dismissing both her and Lisa Griffith within the space of three deliveries to finish with figures of 3 for 23. With Jensen being kept off strike Huddleston successfully closed out the game, restricting Otago to 133 for 6.

Earlier in the day, having chosen to bat, Hearts posted 140 for 6 in their 20 overs, on the back of an unbeaten half-century from Katie Perkins. The right-hander shared a 79-run stand with Lauren Down (39) for the second wicket to guide the team to a competitive total. She struck nine boundaries in her unbeaten 69, weathering a collapse triggered by EJ Carson who finished with figures of 2 for 19.

Over at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Central Hinds lost both their matches— the first of which came against Northern Spirit. Once again, it was Gurrey who shone for the visitors, blasting an incredible 54-ball 90 to carry her wonderful form from the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield. The right-hander consistently made room to hit through and over the off-side, smashing 15 fours in her team’s seven-wicket win. Following the early loss of Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Gurrey combined with skipper Felicity Leydon-Davis for a 109-run stand. Leydon-Davis clobbered 54 in 36 deliveries before she became the first of two wickets for Monique Rees. Despite the little stutter, Gurrey saw Spirit over the line alongside Richardson in the 19th over.

Earlier, cameos from Natalie Dodd (41), at the top of the order, and Mikaela Greig (33 not out), lower down, took Hinds to a total of 161 for 6 in the first innings. Katie Anderson’s spell of 3 for 22 in the middle derailed the innings slightly, allowing Spirit to go into the break with momentum on their side.

Game two at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval saw Wellington Blaze hand Hinds an absolute thrashing. First Blaze’s bowlers combined to dismiss Hinds for a total of 56 in 16.1 overs, before Sophie Devine clobbered an unbeaten 42 off just 14 deliveries to register Blaze’s 10-wicket win in only 3.5 overs.

It was off-spinner Leigh Kasperek who started the hosts’ slide, dismissing Jess Watkin and Emily Cunningham for ducks. Dodd (22) and Kerri Tomlinson (18) attempted to arrest the fall of wickets, but once their 25-run stand was broken, there was little to no resistance from the middle or lower order. Jess Kerr picked up three wickets with her medium pace, while Deanna Doughty, the leg-spinner, had figures of 2 for 15.

In the final match of the day, Sparks finally registered their first win of the tournament beating Spirit by nine runs. It was the international duo of Bates and Katey Martin who led the way with an unbroken 153-run stand for the second wicket. While Bates raced to her first century of the season off just 64 balls, Martin overcame her poor recent form with an exquisite half century. The diminutive wicket-keeper— given the responsibility of captaincy this season— hit four fours and three sixes on her way to an unbeaten 64 off 44 balls. She worked as the perfect foil for Bates who remained unconquered on 106 in Sparks' total of 184 for 1 in 20 overs.

In response, Gurrey continued her excellent run of form. In the company of Bezuidenhout, she got her team off to a terrific start— the pair adding 112 runs in 13.1 overs for the first wicket— before Gurrey was dismissed for 71 by Hayley Jensen. With the run rate continuing to climb, Sparks began to squeeze— drying up the boundaries for the most part. After Bezuidenhout fell for 44, Leydon-Davis (27 not out) tried her best to up the ante, but in the end, there was just too much to do. Despite Hannah Darlington’s 15-run final over, Sparks managed to restrict Spirit to a total of 175 for 4 in their 20 overs.

Brief Scores:

Auckland Hearts 140/6 in 20 overs (Katie Perkins 69*, Lauren Down 35; EJ Carson 2-19) beat Otago Sparks 133/6 in 20 overs (Suzie Bates 76, Hayley Jensen 35*; Arlene Kelly 3-23, Holly Huddleston 2-12) by seven runs.

Central Hinds 161/6 in 20 overs (Natalie Dodd 41, Emily Cunningham 34; Katie Anderson 3-22) lost to Northern Spirit 165/3 in 18.2 overs (Katie Gurrey 90*, Felicity Leydon-Davis 54; Monique Rees 2-40) by seven wickets.

Central Hinds 56 in 16.1 overs (Natalie Dodd 22; Jess Kerr 3-10,Leigh Kasperek 2-9) lost to Wellington Blaze 57/0 in 3.5 overs (Sophie Devine 42*) by 10 wickets.

Otago Sparks 184/1 in 20 overs (Suzie Bates 106*, Katey Matrin 64*) beat Northern Spirit 175/4 in 20 overs (Katie Gurrey 71, Bernadine Bezuidenhout 44) by nine runs.