The undefeated Canterbury Magicians have put the finishing touches on a perfect twenty20 season, winning the New Zealand women's domestic final by seven wickets against the Central Hinds at Mainpower Oval in Rangiora.
The 5.7 magnitude earthquake in Christchurch yesterday afternoon was felt at the ground, but it did not rattle Magicians captain Amy Satterthwaite as she and Frances Mackay shared a 73-run stand for the first wicket, to get their team well on the way to successfully hunting down the Hinds' score of 92 for nine.
Satterthwaite completed a starring all-round performance by top-scoring with a 44-ball 49 before she was bowled by
Mikaela Greig on the cusp of a half century.
Earlier, Central Hinds captain Kate Broadmore had opted to bat first, and top-scored for her team with a 50-ball 42. But Canterbury's attack, consisting entirely of present or former White Ferns, made regular breakthroughs around her, before Broadmore herself became the sixth to fall at the end of the 16th over.
It left the Hinds tail-enders with a lot of ground to recover, and Satterthwaite picked off a couple more wickets for figures of three for 11 off her four overs.
In their chase, the Magicians ticked off their winning runs from the last ball of the 17th over, just three wickets down. Mackay had carried her bat for 26, ending the domestic twenty20 competition as its most successful all-rounder, in her 50th twenty20 for the Magicians.
On Saturday, the Auckland Hearts defended the women's one-day crown, with an impressive eight-wicket win over Wellington Blaze at Auckland's Melville Park.
The Hearts' Holly Huddleston (three for 30) produced a giant-killing opening spell to have Blaze stars Eimear Richardson, Sophie Devine and Liz Perry all back in the pavilion quickly. It was a slump from which they struggled to recover.
However, White Ferns opener Rachel Priest showed her class, carrying on for her fourth one-day century for the Blaze, 107 off 117 deliveries, and never at a more vital time.
She finally found support from Gemma Krebs, batting at No 8, who battled 56 deliveries for her 13 runs, and later Allex Evans. Priest was eventually bowled in the 44th over by Roz McNeill.
Dismissed in 45.2 overs, the Blaze had set the Hearts a chase of just 146 for the silverware, and the composure of Hearts openers Lauren Down (63) and Sam Curtis (an unbeaten 65) ensured that the trophy would stay in the cabinet.
By the time schoolgirl legspinner Amelia Kerr broke their 134-run opening stand, just a dozen runs remained for victory, and even a flurry of late wickets could not stop them from grabbing the trophy with both hands.
