Katey Martin continued her remarkable start to the summer but could not save the Otago Sparks from twenty/20 defeat yesterday.
The Sparks were beaten by 11 runs after reaching 121 for four in pursuit of Northern's 132 for four in Whangarei.
Martin made a valiant 54 off 47 balls, just a week after she scored three consecutive half-centuries in games against Auckland in Invercargill.
The classy opening batsman completely dominated an opening partnership of 39 with Kylie Crowley (2), and smashed five boundaries before being run out.
That virtually extinguished the Sparks' hopes, although Megan Kane scored a brave 39 before she, too, was run out.
Earlier, all six of Northern's batsmen got starts in its competitive total.
Kate Pulford (20) and Natalie Dodd (16) scored 36 for the opening wicket, Nicola Browne (41 not out) and Wendy Horneman (18) put on 41 for the fourth, and Browne and Morna Nielsen (19 not out) added 38 for the fifth.
Browne's knock came off 38 balls and included four boundaries.
The best of the Otago bowlers was Emma Campbell, who had one for 17 off four overs.
• Otago Boys High School has lost two from two at the Gillette Cup finals in Palmerston North.
Otago Boys crumbled for 89 against Westlake Boys yesterday, with the Auckland school then scoring 90 for four thanks to an unbeaten 48 from Craig Cachopa.
In Thursday's opening round, Otago Boys was beaten by Hamilton Boys by one wicket.
Sent in to bat, Otago Boys lost regular wickets but scraped through to 178 thanks to an eighth-wicket partnership of 62 between Tom Rutherford (62) and Blair Soper (28)Soper, a left-arm fast bowler, then took four wickets as Hamilton Boys slumped to 145 for eight in reply.
But middle-order batsman Ryan Thomson scored a calm unbeaten 48 to lead the North Island school to victory.
Blue Mountain College has also lost both its opening games at the national secondary schoolgirls tournament in Taupo.
Westlake Girls (254 for one) crushed Blue Mountain (40) by 214 runs yesterday.
Openers Victoria Fuller (112) and Kimberley Ter Braak (79 not out) combined for a partnership of 238 for the opening wicket for Westlake.
On the opening day, Blue Mountain was beaten by seven wickets by Waikato Diocesan.
Blue Mountain was dismissed for 110, with Avana Miller top-scoring with 33.
Waikato Diocesan made 112 for three.
