Otago created enough chances to beat Canterbury in a women's twenty20 game at the University of Otago Oval yesterday.
But the Sparks put down at least half a dozen catches and most of them very easy.
Canterbury cashed in on its second, third and fourth chances. Chasing 165, the visiting side overhauled the target with nine wickets to spare in the penultimate over.
Kirsty Nation was the main beneficiary. She went on to smash a career-high 91 from 60 deliveries.
But she should have never got past 17. Megan Gibbs put down a very simple catch at cover and dropped another two later in the game.
Ella Brown shelved two as well and Leigh Kasperek dropped one on the edge of the boundary towards the end of the match.
There was plenty of average fielding in between.
The end result was Nation and Frances Mackay put on 159 for the first wicket.
Mackay carried her bat with an undefeated 62 from 50.
Earlier, English import Alice Davidson-Richards underlined her value to the Sparks with a pulsating knock at the top of the innings.
She smashed two sixes and 10 boundaries on her way to 80 from just 52 balls.
She featured in damaging 100-run stand with Katey Martin.
The experienced Martin took a back seat to Davidson-Richards, who really lit up the match with some quite wonderful shots.
Mackay was on the receiving end of a couple of whacks. She had a delivery struck over long-on for six and the next was a reverse sweep into the gap for a boundary.
It was a one-two punch of power and skill. But Davidson-Richards' dismissal in the 17th over provided Canterbury the reprieve it needed to keep the score under 180.
Kasperek was not able to get going and Polly Inglis could not find the boundary at the death.
Martin was run out for a terrific 61 when she turned for an impossible second in the last act of Otago's innings of 164 for four.
Kate Ebrahim's one for 25 represented very good value, while Emma Bermingham's none of 27 was frugal in the context of the game.
In Hamilton on Saturday, Lucy Doolan blasted 70 not out from 62 balls to help Wellington post 144 for two.
The total proved too much for Northern Districts. It was restricted to 118 for nine.
Spinners Deanna Doughty (four for 16) and Amelia Kerr (three for 10) did the bulk of the damage, while Doolan grabbed two for 27 to complete a wonderful day for the all-rounder.
