ROUND ONE
CENTRAL HINDS v NORTHERN SPIRIT
17 November 2018
Pukekura Park, New Plymouth
RESULT: Central Hinds won by nine wickets (with a bonus point)
She’s a recent WHITE FERN and her prodigious career for Northern Spirit saw her amass a phenomenal 2,958 women’s List A runs by the tender age of 25 — only WHITE FERNS legend Nicola Browne has ever scored more for the side.
Today, in her first Hallyburton Johnstone Shield appearance in green kit for her new team the Central Hinds, Natalie Dodd plundered an unbeaten century, carrying her bat in a nine-wicket landslide — and against her former teammates.
Always an elegant timer of the ball, Dodd calmly ensured the Hinds coasted home with a hefty 10.3 overs to spare, helping chase down Spirit’s light 187 at Pukekura Park as the national one-day competition got underway with a bang for 2018/19.
Spirit captain Sam Curtis had elected to bat on a firm, used deck, but the opportunity was thoroughly squandered as the top seven all fell cheaply, the visitors in tatters at 79 for seven.
Rosemary Mair had been the catalyst, quickly claiming both Curtis and Kate Andersen for single-figure scores in her 3-30.
The dominoes only stopped tumbling when Lily Mulivai dug in at eight and produced a desperately needed 63 off 55 balls, stepping up to try to save her team’s blushes on Hallyburton Johnstone Shield debut.
Her 81-run stand with Briana Perry (34 off 68) set a new eighth wicket record for the Spirit, breaking the mark of 66 set two summers ago. It served to irritate the Hinds, but still wasn’t enough to make up for the costly and catastrophic start to the innings.
After young Wairarapa bowler Georgia Atkinson finally broke the stand at the end of the 41st over, Perry was left to scramble what she could with the remaining tailenders before the Hinds finished them off with 2.1 overs unutilised.
Spirit needed early wickets of their own to have any chance at Pukekura Park but Dodd was in no mood to ruin her day, having already contributed to running out Curtis and making three grabs behind the stumps.
Taranaki’s young Emily Cunningham (19) was the only wicket to fall before Dodd and captain Anlo van Deventer began building the match-winning stand of 137* for the second wicket, van Deventer’s unbeaten 66 off 70 balls her fifth half-century in the one-day format.
For Dodd it was her 19th half century and very nearly an eighth century before the pair ran out of runs to chase.
Young Northland wicketkeeper Olivia Lobb made her first appearance for the Spirit in the one-day format since her debut as a schoolgirl in 2013/14, while Charlotte Sarsfield reappeared for the first time since 2014/15.
They may get a second chance at finding their feet again when the two teams meet in Round Two at the same ground, starting at the slightly earlier time of 10am this Sunday.
