Two years ago when ANIELA APPERLEY was all set to make her Central Hinds debut while still at Napier Girls' High School, the heavens opened over Pukekura Park and washed out the entire weekend without a ball bowled.

It was a Hallyburton Johnstone Shield weekend in February 2022, and Apperley would have played against the Auckland Hearts to debut at just 16 - had the teams got on the park.

After a long wait to get back on, now there's a second chance for uncapped Apperley who's been named in the 13-strong CENTRAL HINDS squad to play the Otago Sparks this weekend in two HBJ rounds in Invercargill.

ANIELA APPERLEY | MBUTCHER

The young right-arm pace bowler from Hastings comes in for HANNAH ROWE who is away on WHITE FERNS business. Now a 19-year-old New Zealand Indoor cap and, as of this year, a contracted Central Hinds squad member, even without having yet debuted, she's been playing for Hawke's Bay in CD's Mike Shrimpton Trophy since she was 14, and was a member of the CD Under 19 Women's team that won the NZC Nationals last year.

 

The Hindswent unrewarded in Auckland | MBUTCHER

 

Apperley comes into a squad that's sporting the top bowler in the country in this year's HALLYBURTON JOHNSTONE SHIELD - Nelson Nyxon CLAUDIA GREEN, with 10 wickets, including a bag of 5/30, from the first four rounds, and the top batter, Manawatū's MIKAELA GREIG.

Greig has been in the form of her life with 232 runs at a 77.33 average and 100+ strike rate from the season so far, well ahead of the next best in the country, WHITE FERN Georgia Plimmer of the Wellington Blaze (186 runs).

The Hinds are off to play rounds five and six of the 10-round one-day campaign at Queen's Park, their first List A match there since 2010/11.

No one in the current squad was involved in that game, but if the high-flying squad of today can crack a win against the Otago Sparks, it will be their first ever in the format at the ground.

 

It's an otherwise unchanged squad from Auckland a fortnight ago where the team was frustrated by WHITE FERN and Hearts captain Maddy Green's stickability that led to twin Auckland wins despite the fight shown from the Hinds.

Now there's a chance to bounce back up the table as the competition hits the halfway mark. The Hinds are only 10 points behind leaders the Hearts and six points behind the second-placed Otago Sparks, so it's a big weekend and two strong performances for a maximum of 10 points this weekend would be timely before all the teams switch into T20 mode for the Dream11 Super Smash mid-summer campaign.

        2023/24 HBJ POINTS AFTER 4 OF 10 ROUNDS
 

        16   Auckland Hearts (3 wins, 2 bonus points, 1 washout)

        10   Otago Sparks (2 wins, 2 bonus points)

         9    Wellington Blaze (2 wins, 1 bonus point)

         7    Northern Districts (1 win, 1 bonus point, 1 washout)

         6    Central Hinds (1 win, 1 washout)

         6    Canterbury (1 win, 1 washout)

Assistant Coach DEEPAK JOON maintains the reins for the weekend while regular Head Coach JACOB ORAM assists the BLACKCAPS in the Bangladesh Test Series, with the Hinds' first ball set for 10.30am this Saturday in Round Five at Queen's Park and livescoring and a FREE livestream here at www.cdcricket.co.nz.

Scroll down for the full squad.

The CENTRAL STAGS have meanwhile shot up to the right end of the men's Ford Trophy one-day table after an impressive win in difficult conditions yesterday over the Otago Volts at Pukekura Park.

The Stags showed good composure after having been sent in, batting out there overs nine down to stay in the fight. They ended up with a bonus point victory to set up a tilt for the top of the table in the last round before Christmas, coming up this Tuesday in Whangārei.

Allrounder WILL CLARK carried on his good form with his second half century in a row at Pukekura Park, having not had a chance to get on the park in the washed out intervening round in Palmy.

WILL 'Bill The Bison' CLARK | PHOTOSPORT

Clark's unbeaten, run-a-ball 57 at six wasn't pretty, but it was pretty effective as the Stags regrouped and picked up some momentum after a wobble in the middle order.

Anchor BRAD SCHMULIAN had got the side underway with a half century at the top after JACK BOYLE became Luke Georgeson's first victim at 19/1 in the 11th over.

On the day he was named in a BLACKCAPS squad for the first time, JOSH CLARKSON got a start after the Stags had lost a couple of quick wickets. He provided a cameo of 28, but both he and Schmulian would be gone by the 30-over mark, and the Stags had to start again with two batters on zero.

Clark and BAYLEY WIGGINS (35) were up to it, and put on 53 together before the hosts were 177/8 heading into the death overs, with any total less than 200 considered a crime at Pukekura Park.

But Otago's Dr. Death Jacob Duffy, Muller and Matt Bacon weren't going to have the upper hand as they tried to wrap things up. Instead BLAIR TICKNER (21) almost reached his career high score as he set about supporting Clark - and setting a new ninth-wicket record partnership of 50 for matches between these two sides in List A cricket.

Clark had ensured the Stags did not get bowled out, and the buffer of runs would prove to be very useful after they made a brilliant start with the ball in reply.

Tickner had 2/4 early doors as he dismissed Georgeson and Dale Phillips in the first handful of overs; meanwhile veteran Hamish Rutherford came up short against BEVAN SMALL with Tickner taking the catch.

PHOTOSPORT

At 21/3 in the seventh, the heat went on captain Foxcroft and form youngster Thorn Parkes to steady the ship, but they were made to work hard for their 26-run stand by Clarkson, RAY TOOLE and Tickner who relished the conditions.

Toole got Foxcroft before too long and struck again in his following over, leaving Parkes (26) with a big salvage job to do from 58/5.

He and Max Chu (35) built a partnership but Clark broke it in the 24th over, and from there the Volts' backs were to the wall.

  2023/24 FORD TROPHY POINTS AFTER 4 OF 10 ROUNDS
 

        12   Auckland Aces (3 wins, 2 bonus points)

        11   Central Stags (2 wins, 1 bonus point, 1 washout)

        11   Northern Districts (2 wins)

        7   Wellington Firebirds (1 win, 1 bonus point, 1 washout)

        6   Otago Volts (1 win, 1 washout)

        5   Canterbury (1 win, 1 bonus point)

Tickner had bowled superbly throughout and now Clarkson (3/37) came into his own and wrapped things up in the 40th over.

The Stags won by a handsome 82 runs, and are now just one point behind new leaders the Auckland Aces as they get ready to head north for the last one-day round before Dream11 Super Smash begins.

2023/24

HALLYBURTON JOHNSTONE SHIELD

versus

OTAGO SPARKS

10.30am

Queen's Park, Invercargill

ROUND FIVE • Saturday 9 December, 2023

ROUND SIX • Sunday 10 December, 2023

NATALIE Dodd (captain, wicketkeeper) - Taranaki

ANIELA Apperley - Hawke's Bay - uncapped

GEORGIA Atkinson - Wairarapa

OCEAN Bartlett - Wairarapa

FLORA Devonshire - Hawke's Bay

CLAUDIA Green - Nelson

MIKAELA Greig - Manawatū

MELISSA Hansen - Wairarapa

ASHTUTI Kumar - Manawatū

EMMA McLeod - Hawke's Bay

ROSEMARY Mair - Hawke's Bay

THAMSYN Newton - Hawke's Bay (uncapped)

KERRY Tomlinson - Hawke's Bay

Article added: Friday 8 December 2023