Wellington somehow scraped their way to a tense one-run win to claim the women’s Super Smash title at Eden Park yesterday.
Mair bowled one of the great T20 spells.
She removed both of Wellington’s key batters to help dismiss the Blaze for a modest tally of 89.
No-one thought that would be enough. But Wellington deployed their battery of spinners to pin down the Hinds’ top order.
It is fair to say there was rather timid batting as well.
The run rate kept climbing and they were left trying to score 10 runs from the final over and fell short. It was a bonkers final over too.
Sophie Devine tossed up two wides, botched a run out and dropped a caught-and-bowled opportunity, but still ended up on the winning side.
That’s cricket, folks.
Earlier, Melie Kerr did her best to keep Wellington’s innings from completely derailing.
But she had to start all over again with a new batting partner with monotonous regularity.
She came to the crease with her side 12 for one.
Mair had bowled Devine for five in a major breakthrough for the Hinds. Devine possesses rare power and is a proven match-winner.
Her dismissal shifted all the pressure to Kerr.
The White Ferns all-rounder was averaging more than 80 and she held up her end for a period.
But the Hinds had their tails up (pun intended).
Hannah Rowe removed Rebecca Burns for 10 just before a second rain interruption.
The game was reduced further to 17 overs apiece. And first ball after the resumption Mair yorked Georgia Plimmer and trapped her lbw for a duck.
The wickets kept tumbling.
Leigh Kasperek got bowled by a wonderful inswinger from Claudia Green.
Kerr holed out for a run-a-ball 35. Mair got her and capped off a tremendous bowling display when she cleaned out Natasha Codyre for 12.
But the Blaze responded with some tight bowling and gradually built pressure.
The departure of Hollie Armitage for 21 was a key wicket. Devine made a cracking catch to dispatch the dangerous opener.
Natalie Dodd and Tamsyn Newton laboured to generate any momentum. They were pursuing a modest target but the run rate grew.
Dodd eventually pushed a return catch to Kasperek on 18.
Rowe swung away a boundary to help release some pressure.
The Hinds needed 29 from the last four overs to win. The match was in the balance.
The Kerr sisters combined to wrestle back some control.
Melie went for just three runs in the 15th over.
Rowe responded by trying to whack Jess Kerr’s first delivery of the next over to the rope but was bowled.
Newton (27 not out from 42) could not find the much-needed boundary in the final over which could have swung the result.
Wellington
S Devine b Mair 5 (9)
R Burns c Atkinson b Rowe 10 (11)
A Kerr c Dodd b Mair 35 (35)
G Plimmer lbw Mair 0 (4)
L Kasperek b Green 0 (3)
K Chandler c Kumar b Green 8 (21)
J Kerr c Rowe b Kumar 12 (10)
J McFadyen run out (Rowe) 0 (2)
N Codyre b Mair 12 (4)
N Baird run out (Newton/Dodd) 2 (2)
X Jetly not out 1 (1)
Extras (1b, 3w) 4
Total (all out, 17 overs) 89
Fall: 1-12, 2-22, 3-23, 4-24, 5-44, 6-68, 7-68, 8-86, 9-87, 10-89.
Bowling: C Green 3-0-12-2, H Rowe 3-0-26-1 (2w), R Mair 4-1-5-4, P Chatterji 4-0-23-0 (1w), A Kumar 3-0-22-1.
Central Districts
H Armitage c&b Devine 21 (17)
N Dodd c&b Kasperek 18 (29)
T Newton not out 27 (42)
H Rowe b J Kerr 12 (10)
M Greig run out (Plimmer/Devine) 6 (4)
C Green run out (McFadyen) 0 (0)
Extras (1b, 1lb, 2w) 4
Total (5 wkts, 17 overs) 88
Fall: 1-23, 2-52, 3-72, 4-87, 5-88.
Bowling: J Kerr 3-0-21-1, S Devine 3-0-18-1 (2w), X Jetly 3-0-12-0, L Kasperek 4-0-21-1, A Kerr 4-0-14-0.
Result: Wellington won by one run (DLS method).
