Cricket: Bates marks century early

Otago Sparks captain Suzie Bates rolls her arm over in front of umpire Mike George at Molyneux...
Otago Sparks captain Suzie Bates rolls her arm over in front of umpire Mike George at Molyneux Park yesterday. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
Suzie Bates will bring up the ton for Otago today but she helped herself to a century yesterday, in leading the Sparks to a one-day victory.

Bates will play her 100th one-day game for Otago today, as it takes on the Central Hinds in Alexandra.

Yesterday, Bates (28) carried her bat through the innings and hit a defiant 125 to give her side the win against the same opposition.

Chasing 204 for the win, Bates scored more than 60% of the runs to give Otago the victory, hitting the winning runs with 11 balls to spare.

Coach Warren Lees said Bates batted tremendously.

‘‘She was fantastic, really. She led right from the front and had us ahead for the whole of the innings,'' Lees said.

‘‘We bowled well, batted well and fielded well and when that all happens, then you usually get the right result.''

Central had won the toss and decided to bat.

It started well and Jess Watkin hit 61 in the middle order but some tight bowling from the Sparks bowlers made it difficult for the Central batters to get on a roll.

Spinner Morna Nielsen took two wickets while Victoria Abbott also picked up a couple.

Spinner Leigh Kasperek also bowled well and helped herself to three cheap wickets.

Otago lost Caitlin Blakely early but Kasperek and Bates came together and combined for a 139-run partnership. They kept the runs ticking over and never looked to be in any trouble.

But Kasperek went out and Otago got the speed wobbles.

Bates, though, was still in and as long as she was there Otago was always going to be in the box seat.

She hit 11 boundaries in her 182-minute knock and fittingly hit the winning runs.

The win keeps Otago in with a shout in the one-day competition but its hopes in the twenty20 arena look slim.

In the twenty20 match at the same venue on Saturday, Otago looked to have the game won, only to fall over in the dying stages and lose by six runs.

The visiting team batted first and got through to 104 for eight wickets in its 20 overs.

Skipper Kate Broadmore managed 26 but no-one else helped out and Otago looked to have the advantage at the break of innings.

The home team looked home and hosed, needing just over 30 runs, with seven wickets still left and six overs remaining.

Bates was out, for 38, followed quickly by Polly Inglis and the wheels quickly fell off the Otago innings. Three run outs did not help.

It came up short with Nielsen and Ella Brown unable to get the runs in the final balls.

Wellington skipper Sophie Devine was the star of the show on Saturday, with an unbeaten century to help her side beat Auckland.

She hit an unbeaten 106 off 47 balls and 82 of those runs came in boundaries.

 

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