2023/24 HALLYBURTON JOHNSTONE SHIELD
Round 10
Sunday 18 February 2024
Pukekura Park, New Plymouth
CENTRAL HINDS beat NORTHERN DISTRICTS by 6 wickets - bonus point win
Central Hinds : 5 points
Northern Districts : 0 points
Selected milestones
Jess Watkin : 100th List A match (all teams)
Anna Gaging : Career-best List A bowling
Hannah Rowe : Equal career-best List A bowling for Central Hinds
Emma McLeod : Maiden List A wicket
Central Hinds : 5th wicket partnership record in matches v Northern Districts (124*)
Jess Watkin | PHOTOSPORT
After a promising summer, the Central Hinds saved their best for last with their first bonus-point win of the up and down one-day summer, in the final round.
Fresh off a win on the previous day against the same side, this time the Hinds were more convincing.
ND captain Eimear Richardson won the toss and chose to bat first, but Hannah Rowe struck in her first over at 1/1 and the hosts were tight through the top overs on the small ground.
Almost nine overs had ticked by before Yasmeen Kareem found the first boundary, but slowly and steadily she and Caitlin Gurrey built a 45-stand for the second wicket.
Nelson bowler Anna Gaging was coming off a five-wicket bag in CD A cricket and combined with another pace youngster, Aniela Apperley, behind the senior opening attack for Rowe and Claudia Green.
Gaging broke through in the 15th, the last over of her first spell, with the big wicket of Gurrey, caught by the sure hands of Thamsyn Newton. She would come back for more later in the innings, en route to career best figures.
Captain Natalie Dodd brought Rowe back to attack the new batter, Rowe's former Hinds co-captain Jess Watkin - playing in her 100th List A match, in her first season for Northern.
Hannah Rowe | PHOTOSPORT
She lasted just two overs before Rowe had her trapped at 51/3.
Sam Barriball gave Kareem support, however, as they lifted the momentum through to the 29th over with a 54-stand for the fourth.
It was broken when Emma McLeod got her maiden wicket, Kareem caught by Apperley on 40.
It swung the momentum back to the hosts after Gaging zeroed in on Richardson soon after, then stopped Barriball on 39 in her next over.
She would go on to her first haul of four wickets in the one-day format, netting 4/43 while Rowe helped mop up to finish with an impressive 4/17 - equalling her List A career best for the Hinds from the 2011/12 season - her very first season in the team, when she was still at school.
All out for 171 in 47.2 overs, ND has nevertheless managed to scrap together a defendable total, if they could repeat their bowling heroics of the previous day.
Dodd and Georgia Atkinson got the hosts going with a 44-run opening stand inside the first 10 overs.
But when they fell in quick succession - and then watched on as two more batters, McLeod and Flora Devonshire, exited swiftly, there was a frisson of nerves for the green team at 49/4.
Fresh off yesterday's extraordinary seven-for, Kayley Knight had two, and spinner Nensi Patel the other two.
But they would be the last wickets to fall.
The experienced duo of Newton (an unbeaten 67* off 88 balls) and Rowe (53 not out off 69) not only brought home the win in the 38th over with a century stand, but set a new fifth wicket record in one-day matches for the Hinds against their northern neighbours.
Neither team would be progressing, the Hinds finishing fourth and ND fifth, but they had both had their moments across 2023/24, and could take a lot of satisfaction from the way their teams progressed.
