Suzie Bates and Kate Ebrahim guided Otago to a 31-run Super Smash win against Auckland at Eden Park Outer Oval yesterday.
The veteran pair put on 127 for the third wicket to help the Sparks post 159 for three.
Bates stroked 76 and Ebrahim made an unbeaten 45 and nabbed three for 15 as well to help restrict the Hearts to 128 for nine.
The win has kept Otago (eight points) within touch with the competition leaders Wellington (12 points) and Canterbury (12 points).
Auckland (four points) slips back to fifth with Northern Districts (four points, fourth) and Central Districts (0 points, last) struggling for traction.
Otago made a middling start. Opener Olivia Gain, who was celebrating her 21st birthday, went into the game following back-to-back golden ducks.
She pummelled her first legal delivery through cover to ease some nerves.
Bates, however, really should have been dismissed for 2.
Fran Jonas put down a very simple return catch but quickly redeemed herself.
She lulled Gain (15) into a hoick to wide midwicket which was well caught by Bella Armstrong.
Then she slipped a couple of deliveries past Polly Inglis — the second ended in a stumping.
It was some quality bowling by the international, who registered a double-wicket maiden.
Ebrahim was put down on nought otherwise Otago could have been four down for 20-odd.
The Bates-Ebrahim partnership is so critical for the Sparks and the pair clawed back some momentum with some measured batting which mostly involved rotating the strike.
They collected their second 100-run stand of the campaign — the duo put on an Otago record 128 in the 20-run win against Northern Districts in Queenstown late last year.
They looked on track to eclipse their record before Bates was caught in the penultimate over with the partnership one run shy of equalling the record.
Jonas was the best of the Hearts bowlers with three for 20.
Auckland made a decent start to the chase, but was helped on by some terrible fielding by the visitors.
Anna Browning was the major beneficiary. She was dropped three times before she got to 20.
Her good luck finally ceased when Bates gathered a throw and ran her out for 23.
Lauren Down, who led the Hearts to victory with an unbeaten 44 in Queenstown, clubbed a full toss straight to Caitlin Blakely and went for nine.
Izzy Gaze attacked her first delivery and lobbed a catch to Bella James at mid-on.
The spin duo of Sophie Oldershaw (two for 17) and Eden Carson (two for 18) had struck a blow each just as the Hearts were looking to prune the required run rate which had started to climb.
More weight fell on the shoulders of opener Saachi Shahri.
She tried to loft Ebrahim for a boundary but found the hands of James for a well-played 40. Ebrahim secured a second wicket in the over when she bowled Bella Armstrong with a slower ball.
When Katie Perkins perished for four, the chase was basically over.
OTAGO
S Bates c sub (Hucker) b Jonas 76 (59)
O Gain c Armstrong b Jonas 15 (11)
P Inglis st Gaze b Jonas 0 (3)
K Ebrahim not out 45 (45)
C Blakely not out 8 (5)
Extras (12w, 3nb) 15
Total (for 3wkts, 20 overs) 159
Fall: 1-20, 2-20, 3-147.
Bowling: F Jonas 4-1-20-3 (1nb), A Hucker 3-0-27-0 (2w, 1nb), A Kelly 4-0-37-0, A Browning 4-0-35-0 (1w), M Penfold 3-0-19-0 (3w, 1nb), B Armstrong 2-0-21-0 (2w).
AUCKLAND
S Shahri c James b Ebrahim 40 (38)
A Browning run out (Ebrahim/Bates) 23 (24)
L Down c Blakely b Oldershaw 9 (13)
I Gaze c James b Carson 0 (1)
B Armstrong b Ebrahim 8 (6)
K Perkins b Carson 4 (9)
P Catton run out (Leydon-Davis) 3 (5)
A Kelly st Inglis b Oldershaw 16 (11)
A Hucker not out 8 (5)
M Penfold b Ebrahim 6 (8)
Extras (4lb, 7w) 11
Total (9 wickets, 20 overs) 128
Fall: 1-48, 2-68, 3-73, 4-82, 5-90, 6-93, 7-103, 8-119, 9-128.
Bowling: E Carson 4-0-18-2, E Black 4-0-35-0 (1w), H Jensen 4-0-28-0 (3w), S Bates 2-0-11-0, K Ebrahim 3-0-15-3 (1w), S Oldershaw 3-0-17-2.
Result: Otago won by 31 runs.
