Jess Watkin was in some kind of mood.
After being dropped in the first over, the Northern Brave captain unleashed to find the boundary again, and again, and again.
She smacked 60 off 37 balls — a knock that included five fours and four sixes — to set her side up for a five-wicket victory against the Sparks at University Oval this afternoon.
And when Watkin was removed, Caitlin Gurrey anchored the middle, smacking a half-century off 32 balls to finish unbeaten on 64.
The Sparks do not walk away empty-handed, having grabbed a bonus point after finishing their innings with 161 runs.
But the Brave were, well, brave in their hunt for victory.
Watkin and Gurrey pummelled the boundaries at every chance and pushed them through.
The Sparks made their first breakthrough when PJ Watkins, who finished with figures of two for 14, removed opener Tash Wakelin.
Laura Harris only deals in screamers. She dived forward at extra cover to remove Eve Wolland, putting the Brave 70 for two.
Watkin whipped another six to bring up her half-century off 28 balls.
She was finally removed when Caitlin Blakely caught her in the deep.
Felicity Robertson was injected to find a wicket and delivered when she caught and bowled Nensi Patel.
It put the Brave 129 for four, but the Brave’s boundary options continued to hurt the Sparks.
Sparks wicketkeeper Polly Inglis brilliantly stumped Marina Lamplough in the penultimate over, but Gurrey steered the Brave home.
Earlier, Bella James and Robertson put on 51 runs for the opening wicket before James was run out.
Robertson pulled nicely though the leg side and controlled the first half of their innings.
But she was stranded shy of her half-century as Marama Downes made the breakthrough.
Harris in trademark style punched her first ball down the ground for four and another over backward point.
She pummelled the next down the ground as she helped ramp up the Sparks' run rate.
Harris skied it high and was caught by Eve Wolland to end her 14 from five ball cameo.
It was a big breakthrough for the Brave and had the Sparks 100 for three.
Lamplough bowled Blakely as the momentum started to swing in the visitors' favour.
Inglis and Anna Browning set out to rebuild the innings and Inglis took control.
The Sparks captain (35 off 16) hammered spinner Patel’s over, smacking two sixes and a four before she holed out going for another.
Browning (13 off 14) was bowled in the final over as the Sparks finished on 161 for six.
The slip to fifth on the women’s Super Smash ladder.
They are away to Canterbury — who are yet to win a game this season — on Wednesday.
