The elusive double
The final act in the season saw PJ Watkins nudge the ball into the off-side and Eden Carson scamper back to the non-striker's end to clinch a last-ball victory for Otago in the HBJ final.
It was as good as cricket gets.
Auckland came to play. They posted a seemingly unassailable tally of 291 for five.
The chase wavered. Rebounded. Wobbled. Surged.
There were even periods where it was not clear who held the high ground.
But Watkins and Carson combined for an unbroken stand of 102 to seal the victory.
It was brilliant.
The chase in the Super Smash final was not.
The Sparks restricted Wellington to a modest tally of 104 for eight.
That did not seem to be anywhere near enough.
But the Sparks lost early wickets, lost confidence, lost sight of the game plan and lost the plot.
It was their worst batting effort of the season and ruined any chance they had of securing the Super Smash-HBJ double.
They had been the form team leading into the final. They qualified top, and perhaps if that final had been played in Dunedin they may have found the extra nine runs they needed to win.
Resilience
The Sparks were prepared to play the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield final without their star Suzie Bates.
They had come to terms with the absence of fellow opener Bella James as well.
But the injury to Hayley Jensen during the warm-up robbed them of a third White Fern.
In the past losing players of that calibre would have seen the confidence ebb away. But they have built real depth and have established a base of self-belief which was unshakable and on full display in the final.
A lot of the credit has to go to the former coach Craig Cumming, who fostered that belief during his tenure with the team.
Dot them up
Otago strangled teams. Particularly in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield.
Jensen and Emma Black put batters under enormous pressure by basically waiting them out.
They bowled a lot of dot balls in the powerplay and tightened the vice that way.
That created wicket-taking opportunities and Carson would cash in with her off-breaks.
The Sparks were reasonably patient with the bat as well. That is not to say they did not go after their shots. They did.
But players such as Felicity Robertson and Caitlin Blakely were happy to build an innings and bat around the shot-makers like Polly Inglis and Suzie Bates.
Seconi’s awards
MVP
Eden Carson was the leading wicket-taker in the Super Smash (18 at 15.39) and the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield (22 at 17.27). And who can forget the unbeaten half-century she flogged in the one-day final.
Honourable mentions
Polly Inglis top-scored in the HBJ final and made some key contributions with the bat and gloves, while Hayley Jensen was reliably excellent with the ball.
Most improved
Anna Browning was a revelation with the ball. She was formerly a top-order batter with Auckland but has reinvented herself as a spinner.
One to watch
PJ Watkins hit the winning runs in the HBJ final and is a developing left-arm spinner.
