Otago spinner Eden Carson helped the Sparks clinch a comfortable 138-run win against Wellington in the final of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield in Queenstown today.
The pint-sized offie nabbed a career-best five for 17 to help dismiss Wellington for just 82.
Earlier, Otago captain Kate Ebrahim had put together a patient knock of 92 and combined in a crucial 103-run partnership with Caitlin Blakely.
The Sparks posted 220 for nine, which proved plenty by the time Carson was done bowling.
The Wellington Blaze went into the game as hot favourites. It crushed Otago by 75 runs in the final of the Super Smash last month and had gone through the season unbeaten.
But Carson made sure the perfect season eluded the Blaze. And what a time to pick up your maiden five-wicket bag in the format.
"Yeah, yeah," she responded, a little lost for words.
"I was just trying to keep it simple and it paid off.
"Kate had a really good game. It was a captain’s knock and there was a good partnership as well, which helped us through to our total.
"It was an all-round good performance, really."
Blakely hit the winning runs the last time the Sparks won the one-day title in 2013-14 and her knock of 57 was a valuable contribution.
The celebrations were reasonably muted. Carson had to travel home last night to start work at 5am tomorrow morning.
That is a tight turnaround and hardly seems fair.
