Otago signed off 2022-23 with a strong win against Canterbury in Queenstown yesterday.
Sparks opener Kate Ebrahim stroked an unbeaten 106 from 140 balls to help her side post 265 for four.
Emma Black (three for 45) and Molly Loe (three for 44) teamed up to roll Canterbury for 228.
Happy days except for one nagging issue — the Sparks were well-beaten the day before and will not get an opportunity to defend the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield they won last year.
The defending champions actually finished second to last, which will burn.
But the final effort of the season was a good performance.
Ebrahim went into the game as the leading scorer in the competition and carried her bat in another demonstration of the sort of fortitude which has been missing at the top of the White Ferns’ order.
Despite being the form list A player in domestic cricket for several seasons, she has continued to be overlooked by an under-performing White Ferns outfit.
She improved her season haul to 588 runs at a very healthy average of 98.
Ebrahim had some help from Olivia Gain, who really gave the Sparks’ innings a lift with an undefeated 67 from 66 balls.
The pair put on 129 from 127 balls. The captain Felicity Leydon-Davis (26) and Caitlin Blakely (32) made smaller but useful contributions.
Canterbury lost early wickets. Black and Loe combined to remove the top three cheaply.
But Amy Satterthwaite and Nat Cox (31) added 90 for the fourth wicket to get the chase back on course.
Otago turned back to Black and Loe and the duo delivered another wicket each.
But Satterthwaite kept her wicket intact a little longer until she tried to pull an Ebrahim delivery through midwicket and chopped on for 66.
Her departure left the lower order with too much to do.
The Sparks started the final round with a slim possibility of slipping into the final. And by slim we mean the defending champions were consisting on a diet of mostly air.
That remaining oxygen was quickly snuffed out on Saturday.
Canterbury posted a massive total of 317 for five — its third highest tally in the format.
Kate Anderson (52) and Satterthwaite (75) established a solid platform and Cox upped the ante with 59 off 61.
Jacinta Savage (32 not out off 26) and Jodie Dean (29 not out off 16) cracked a series of boundaries to get the total past 300.
Otago had only passed 300 twice in its history and that was because Suzie Bates had towed the side there with a big hundred each time.
The Sparks made a decent start. Ebrahim (89) and Bella James (32) put on 84 for the first wicket.
Gain thumped a quick 31. But the middle and lower order struggled to keep pace with the enormous required run rate and the Sparks were eventually dismissed for 205 in the 46th over to lose by 112 runs.
Canterbury booked a place in the final with that win. It will play top qualifier Wellington in Queenstown on Saturday for the title.
Hallyburton Johnstone Shield
Queenstown, February 26
Otago
K Ebrahim not out 106
B James c Satterthwaite b Savage 15
F Leydon-Davis lbw b Satterthwaite 26
C Blakely lbw b Dean 32
P Inglis c Anderson b Sullivan 1
O Gain not out 67
Extras (8lb, 10wd): 18
Total (for four 4 wickets): 265
Fall: 1-28, 2-69, 3-133, 4-136.
Bowling: J Simmons 10-1-48-0 (2wd), G Sullivan 9-0-46-1 (2wd), J Savage 7-0-32-1, A Satterthwaite 9-0-50-1 (3w), S Asmussen 10-0-48-0 (2wd), J Dean 3-0-18-1 (1wd), K Anderson 2-0-15-0.
Canterbury
L Hughes c Gain b Loe 18
A Gerken c Deerness b Loe 13
K Anderson lbw b Black 3
A Satterthwaite b Ebrahim 66
N Cox b Loe 31
J Savage b Black 0
J Dean c sub (Wilson) b Ebrahim 22
I Sharp c Leydon-Davis b Adams 5
G Sullivan lbw b Black 8
J Simmons not out 27
S Asmussen b Ebrahim 8
Extras (6lb, 20wd, 1nb): 27
Total (all out, 46 overs): 228
Fall: 1-22, 2-33, 3-39, 4-129, 5-134, 6-169, 7-177, 8-179, 9-200, 10-228.
Bowling: E Black 10-0-45-3, M Loe 10-0-44-3, G Adams 10-0-50-1 (3wd), K Ebrahim 8-0-33-3 (7wd), C Deerness 5-0-35-0 (4wd), P Loggenberg 3-0-15-0.
Result: Otago won by 37 runs.
