Satterthwaite on top of Southern derby

One Day, Twenty20, this captain, that captain, home or away: so far, so easy for the Canterbury Magicians who kept up their storming start to the domestic season with a seven-wicket win over Suzie Bates’s Otago Sparks in round three of the 50-over format.

Scorecard

It was a top-of-the-table One-Day clash, against a team packed with an England international and four WHITE FERNS, including Leigh Kasperek back from her broken spinning finger. It should have been a tight battle at pretty Molyneux Park and, even after the early loss of Bates, who had elected to bat, the Sparks had enough talent and composure to set up a good match.

Bates had been bowled on 14 in the seventh over by Lea Tahuhu, who seems to have hit the form of her life. By drinks at 76/1,Caitlin Blakely and Katey Martin had steadied the ship to the tune of a growing 57-run stand, and Martin would go on to underpin the Sparks total with a top score of 70 off 88 balls, including nine boundaries.

Tahuhu would eventually claim her wicket as well, in the 39th over. It was the catalyst for a disastrous end to the innings, the Sparks falling away from 142 for four to all out for 190 in the 49th.

Canterbury Magicians one-day captain Amy Satterthwaite starred with both bat and ball, claiming 4-31 off just 7.5 overs before going on to top-score in the chase with a calm 67 off 80 balls, before she was caught behind off Bates.

She had had solid support from fellow opener Frances Mackay who made an aggressive start and reached 49 before becoming Leigh Kasperek’s first victim of the season.

The pair already hold the Canterbury record for the first wicket together and in Alexandra had put on exactly 100, off 112 balls. From there it was going to take a stellar effort to stop the Mags run train in its tracks. The breakthroughs didn’t come quickly or regularly enough for the Sparks, first drop Kate Broadmore unbeaten on 40 when the winning runs were ticked off from the final ball of the 39th over.

The seven-wicket bonus point win added five points to the Magicians’ tally to extend their lead on the One-Day table.