THE sparkle is back.
The Otago Sparks have rebounded from a sluggish start to the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield with back-to-back wins against an under-strength Central Districts side in Palmerston North.
The defending champions went into the double-header round desperately needing some good results.
They had lost their opening four games and were in peril of being knocked out of contention halfway through the round-robin phase.
But they dispatched Central Districts thanks to two vastly improved batting efforts.
The home side were missing White Ferns duo Hannah Rowe and Rosemary Mair, so they were down on bowling firepower.
That opened the door for the Sparks.
Yesterday they smashed 316 for five and rolled the home team for 194 to win by 122 runs.
It was their second-highest total and only the third time they had posted 300 or more in a list A match.
Captain Felicity Robertson anchored the innings with a fine knock of 123 from 132 balls — her fourth list A century.
She combined in a better-than-a-run-a-ball 159-run stand for the second wicket with Saffron Wilson (74).
The Hinds dished up 29 extras during the innings — 27 of them were wides. That was four and a-half extra overs they had to bowl again, which is not something you want to do when you are being clouted all around the park.
Robertson struck 15 fours during her knock.
Elizabeth Cohr took four wickets but conceded 68 runs from eight overs.
Emma McLeod struck 72 and fellow opener Georgia Atkinson added 35 in a useful 61-run partnership for the first wicket.
Spinner Chloe Deerness nabbed the breakthrough and struck again quickly, removing Cate Pederson for two. She finished with three for 50.
Debutant Anika Todd nabbed two, and Emma Black also grabbed a brace of wickets.
On Saturday, the Sparks sailed to a six-wicket win.
Central posted 213 for nine. McLeod top-scored with 62 and Ashtuti Kumar added 46.
Robertson took four wickets, and Black and Deerness nabbed two apiece.
Bella James (59) and Polly Inglis (55 not out) did the heavy lifting during the chase.
■In the other games, Wellington posted two five-wicket wins against Canterbury in Rangiora and Northern Districts won both games against Auckland to move to the top of the table on 23 points.
Wellington (19 points) move past Auckland (14) into second. Central (13) slip to fourth, Otago (10) move up one spot to fifth and Canterbury (5 points) are last.
Yesterday.—
OTAGO
F Robertson c McLeod b Cohr 123
O Gain c Gaging b Kumar 29
S Wilson b Cohr 74
B James b Cohr 8
P Inglis c McLeod b Cohr 19
C Blakely not out 19
A Browning not out 15
Extras (1b, 1lb, 27w) 29
Total (For five, 50 overs) 316
Fall: 1-84, 2-243, 3-251, 4-267, 5-286
Bowling: G Foreman 5-0-24-0 (4w), J Ogden 5-0-33-0 (2w), E Cohr 8-0-68-4 (2w), A Kumar 10-0-48-1 (1w), F Devonshire 9-0-65-0 (3w), C Green 8-0-55-0 (6w), G Atkinson 5-0-21-0 (2w).
CENTRAL DISTRICTS
E McLeod c Blakely b Deerness 72
G Atkinson c&b Deerness 35
C Pedersen c Black b Deerness 2
F Devonshire c James b Robertson 19
K Tomlinson lbw Todd 23
E Cohr run out (Parry) 8
K Gaging b Todd 6
C Green st Inglis b Blakely 6
A Kumar c Inglis b Black 3
J Ogden not out 8
G Foreman b Black 1
Extras (1b, 10w) 11
Total (all out, 40.4 overs) 194
Fall: 1-61, 2-63, 3-99, 4-156, 5-162, 6-169, 7-178, 8-180, 9-185, 10-194.
Bowling: E Black 8.4-2-23-2 (4w), A Todd 10-0-47-2 (3w), C Deerness 8-0-50-3 (1w), A Browning 5-0-22-0, F Robertson 2-0-16-1, PJ Watkins 2-0-18-0, C Blakely 5-0-17-1.
Result: Otago won by 122 runs.
Saturday .—
CENTRAL DISTRICTS
G Atkinson c Robertson b Black 5
E McLeod b Robertson 62
C Pedersen c&b Deerness 5
F Devonshire c Watkins b Deerness 3
K Tomlinson b Black 42
K Gaging c Inglis b Robertson 4
A Kumar c Watkins b Robertson 46
C Green b Robertson 7
E Cohr b Watkins 8
J Ogden not out 13
G Foreman not out 1
Extras (1lb, 1nb, 15w) 17
Total (9 wickets, 50 overs) 213
Fall: 1-28, 2-56, 3-63, 4-96, 5-102, 6-161, 7-174, 8-189, 9-210.
Bowling: E Black 10-0-32-2 (5w), L Kotkamp 6-0-39-0 (2), C Deerness 9-0-35-2 (2w), A Browning 7-0-28-0, PF Watkins 8-0-33-1 (2w), F Robertson 10-0-45-4 (4w, 1nb).
OTAGO
F Robertson c McLeod b Foreman 12
O Gain c Gaging b Cohr 23
S Wilson st Gaging b Cohr 13
B James b Kumar 59
P Inglis not out 55
C Blakely not out 34
Extras (2lb, 1nb, 15 w) 18
Total (4 wickets, 35.4 overs) 214
Fall: 1-42, 2-46, 3-94, 4-138.
Bowling: C Green 4-0-29-0 (2w), G Foreman 5-0-33-1 (5w), E Cohr 7-0-33-2, A Kumar 9.4-1-39-1 (2w), J Ogden 5-0-32-0, F Devonshire 4-0-38-0 (3w), G Atkinson 1-0-8-0.
Result: Otago won by six wickets.
