Natalie Dodd's bold move from Northern Districts to Central Districts to reinvigorate her game has paid off.
The 26-year-old will play in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield final today for the first time in her lengthy career.
And the right-hander is in tremendous touch. The opener has broken Central's record for most runs in a one-day season with 604 runs from 10 innings.
Those runs have come at tournament-high average of 120.80. They are pretty impressive statistics to be carrying into the final against Auckland at Pukekura Park today.
Amy Satterthwaite holds the record for the number of runs in a season with 892 for Canterbury in 2014-15. That mark is well out of reach but but few others have emulated Dodd's haul.
The Waikato-based primary school teacher has enjoyed only one season that was more prolific - her head-turning 2012-13 season when the youngster scored a Northern Districts' record 692 runs, including four centuries and two half-centuries.
Dodd, who last represented New Zealand in March 2018, is in her 12th season. She made her debut while she was still a high school student at Waikato Diocesan and has scored more than 3500 one-day runs.
Finding support at the top of the order has been central to Dodd's hot summer. Hinds captain Anlo van Deventer is averaging 90.80 after having scored the first two one-day centuries of her own domestic career, along with three half-centuries, in a dream one-day summer for the skipper.
The pair featured in a New Zealand record 328-run stand in the last round and will be prized wickets for the Auckland attack.
Rising bowling star Rosemary Mair has 15 wickets at an average of 15.33 and shapes as a key player for the home side as well.
For Auckland, 23-year-old Lauren Down has had her most successful season with the bat.
The White Fern has posted 366 runs at 33.27. The calm top-order player reached her maiden century this summer, after having suffered the pain of getting out in the 90s in the opening round.
The Hearts have won the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield four times in the past seven years, while none of the Central Hinds squad were involved the last time Central came out tops in 2009-10.
