It was the perfect weekend for the Central Hinds with two big bonus point victories against Northern Districts at Donnelly Park.

The last HBJ one-dayers before Dream11 Super Smash provided an important lift for the side and saw NATALIE DODD make a winning start as the one-day team captain.

The wins now see the Hinds sitting on more points than all except the unbeaten Otago Sparks, whom they will face in Sunday’s opening T20 doubleheader with the Stags and Volts in Dunedin.

 

 

But with average-points-per-game being the go in this lockdown-affected season, currently that means the Hinds are still third on the table, behind the Wellington Blaze who have played fewer games for their points.

Anyway, here’s how a top weekend happened - with both days seeing the Hinds post big totals - in the top five of all time for CD!

ROUND 5 • Donnelly Park, Levin

SATURDAY 20 November 2021

Central Hinds beat Northern Districts by 87 runs

SCORES

Still looking for their first win of the season and against a fresh-look, and still lockdown-affected Northern Districts side playing their first match of the season, the Central Hinds posted their fourth highest one-day total.

Two players contributed important maiden half centuries and, had the match gone to script, captain Natalie Dodd would have done the job up top as well in her first match as Central Hinds captain. But - it all worked out in the end!

Dodd’s opposite number Kate Anderson was likewise captaining ND for the first time in this match and sent the Hinds in on a weekend that had originally been scheduled for Hamilton's Seddon Park.

Dodd fell for no score on just the second ball of the match, and powerhouse JESS WATKIN departed not long after for just 23 - a second big wicket for the lanky young pace bowler Kayley Knight (3-48).

The Hinds needed fellow opener EMILY CUNNINGHAM to step up and step up she did, blasting her maiden Hallyburton Johnstone Shield and List A half century off just 49 balls, including eight boundaries and a six!

The 39-run stand with Watkin for the second wicket was cut short, but Cunningham went on to dominate a 68-run third-wicket stand with CATE PEDERSEN as the Hinds escalated towards a potent total.

It had actually been a good start by ND until the sixth over - before Cunningham charged at Nensi Patel for her six, and from there, the momentum gathered until Charlotte Sarsfield made a much-needed double strike in the 24th, trapping Pedersen after her patient 25 before KERRY TOMLINSON was caught first ball, off her very next delivery.

That brought the experience of MIKAELA GREIG to the middle and it would be another maiden wave of the bat for the Hinds as Greig took charge of the back half of the innings.

She provided a 78-ball 65 before she was run out in the last over, after a six and five boundaries.

Kate  Anderson is a powerful opener and would be key to ND's chances of chasing down the Hinds' impressive 275/9, if they could get close. She made a strong start, belting HANNAH ROWE's second over for three consecutive boundaries.

But soon Anderson was gone, the first to depart when Jess Watkin entered the attack in eight over.

Watkin had two excellent days with the ball and started by having her rival caught for a 21-ball 26 off just her second delivery, then picked up new batter Nensi Patel two balls later: 49/0 suddenly 49/2.

The spinning allrounder would go on to a near career-best with her superb 4-28 - including four maidens - off her set of 10 overs, but Jess was denied a bag by a stoic last ND pair.

ND had folded by then, Anderson's 26 at the top proving to be their top score - excluding extras, which came in ahead on 35. Only ND debutante Naomi Matthews got close, on 23 when she was bowled by legspinner GEORGIA AKTKINSON.

All but one of the wickets had fallen to the Hinds' trio of spinners, Atkinson and ASHTUTI KUMAR each picking up two.

Yet Sarsfield and Knight put on an incredibly stubborn effort for more than an hour as they tried to defend the last wicket.

More than 100 runs had been required, at a steep clip with only the one wicket in hand. But from 144/9 in the 30th, they saw off Watkin, then annoyed their hosts with an ND record-equalling 44-run stand for the 10th wicket.

Finally, MELISSA HANSEN broke through in the 48th over to put a stop to the tailend antics and cement the bonus point victory for the Hinds - our first win of the summer after two losses and two washouts.

ND number nine Charlotte Sarsfield (previous best: 20) had reached a new career best of 25 not out and Kayley Knight (previous best: 2 not out) had hit 17 as they equalled the ND partnership record for the 10th that had been set by Holly Huddleston and Melissa Taylor in early 2008, a consolation prize in a big defeat for the visitors.

The Hinds were back!

ROUND 6 • Donnelly Park, Levin

SUNDAY 21 November 2021

Central Hinds beat Northern Districts by 86 runs

SCORES

Fresh off their fourth highest List A total just 23 hours earlier, our Central Hinds now posted their second highest ever HBJ total.

Sent in again, an explosive half century from first drop Jess Watkin set it up as the Hinds powered towards a tally of 294 all out in exactly 50 overs, with an obligatory runout going for it off the last ball.

Watkin had smashed 87 off just 62 balls, including five sixes and eight fours, and had seemed just a few hits away from a second one-day century.

But after she was trapped by Anderson, Hannah Rowe just picked up where Watkin left off with a half century of her own.

Rowe blasted 61 off 56 balls - just one shy of her List A one-day career best, and again the Hinds had more than one player step up with the bat to get a formidable score on the board.

Watkin had shared a 54-run stand with captain Natalie Dodd (22) for the second wicket, then the pivotal 77-run stand for the third wicket with Kerry Tomlinson (26).

While the ND attack chipped away with regular wickets shared around their attack, they were outpaced by the bold hitting on a good surface.

Anderson kept things relatively tight with her 2-43 off her 10 overs, and she again stepped up with the bat to get her side off to a strong start in the chase.

This time she went on as she slammed 54 off 48 balls at the top, including eight boundaries, leading the charge after the early loss of wicketkeeper-batter Holly Topp who was an early victim of Watkin (3-55).

Anderson and Nensi Patel (36) put on a 74-run stand for the second wicket to give their side a boost but wthe captain as a big wicket for Ashtuti Kumar in the 18th over.

Former WHITE FERN Sam Barriball (née Curtis) kept the runs flowing for ND with another half century, reaching 55 at run-a-ball pace before MONIQUE REES (3-27) stopped her in the 35th over.

By then ND was eight down, and Barriball had just lost three partners in quick succession to rob the visitors of momentum as they tried to push up past 200 and give themselves a shot.

It was a crucial dismissal - and from there the Hinds regained full control, wrapping up their second bonus point victory of the weekend with a whopping 11.5 overs in hand.

All images by PHOTOSPORT

Article added: Tuesday 23 November 2021