That was emphatic.
Wellington underlined its favourite’s tag with a comprehensive 33-run win over Otago at the Basin Reserve yesterday.
The top-of-the-table clash proved to be a one-sided encounter.
The Blaze pummelled 108 for eight in a rain-affected match, and the Sparks slumped to 75 all out.
Key batter Suzie Bates was stumped in the opening over of the chase and the Sparks lost three consecutive wickets between the seventh and eight overs.
Kate Ebrahim top-scored with 29 and nabbed two for 15 in a good personal performance.
Otago coach Craig Cumming was disappointed with the batting effort after he felt his side battled back well with the ball.
"We just didn’t take the smart options with the bat," he said.
"That is something they were good at, and their top four bowlers are very good once they’ve got runs on the board.
"It would have been nice to win the toss and ask them to chase. But we’ve got be a little bit better in all facets.
"We missed opportunities in the field, and with the bat we’ve got to be more clinical."
The game was reduced to a 12-over contest after some wet weather delayed the start by 70 minutes.
Wellington opener Georgia Plimmer batted like she was trying to earn that time back and holed out in the second over for seven.
That brought the in-from Melie Kerr to the wicket.
Her stay should have been very brief. She got under a delivery from Molly Loe but Bates got into a tangle and shelled the catch at mid-on.
Rebecca Burns pumped Emma Black for six and four to help take 18 off the next over.
Wellington was rocketing along but Bates made amends for an earlier drop with two catches in a row.
The first was a spectacular one-handed effort to remove Kerr for 10. Then she got under a towering catch from Burns, who walloped 30 from 15 balls.
Ebrahim was on a hat trick but got taken out of the attack and had to wait until the ninth over for her shot at glory.
That ball was negotiated safely but Ebrahim should have had the wicket of Maddy Green later in the over.
She skied a shot and veteran keeper Katey Martin got under it but inexplicably dropped it.
An over earlier, Martin had also fumbled a stumping opportunity.
Green had a third slice of luck when she was dropped again.
She made the Sparks pay with back-to-back boundaries in the penultimate over to take her side past 100.
Green’s luck came to an end in the final over when Bates — who else? — nabbed another terrific catch to bring her knock to a close on 30.
Otago’s chase faltered early when Bates charged left-armer Maneka Singh but missed and was stumped for one.
That is like losing half your stack of chips in the first hand. Bates is that important to the Sparks’ batting effort.
Martin and Polly Inglis went searching for boundaries but the placing and timing was not always in sync.
And Wellington still had the trump cards of spin trio Leigh Kasperek (one for 15), Xara Jetly (two for 9) and Melie Kerr (two of 20).
A dot ball here and dot ball there led to the required run rate blowing out. The Sparks needed more than 12 an over with six overs remaining.
It seemed very unlikely and Martin’s departure for 19 ushered in a rapid demise.
- Paige Loggenberg produced a superb innings but Otago slipped to a 63-run loss to Wellington on the opening day of the New Zealand under-19 women’s tournament in Christchurch yesterday.
Loggenberg scored 73 not out as Otago made 144 for nine off 42 overs in a rain-affected game.
Wellington had scored 207 for nine. Angelique Peyroux (three for 31), Louisa Kotkamp (two for 32) and Zarah Moana (two for 34) performed well with the ball for Otago.
