In the recently concluded 2025-26 season of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, a total of six teams, namely Central Hinds, Canterbury Magicians, Northern Brave, Auckland Hearts, Wellington Blaze, and Otago Sparks, participated.
Northern Brave defeated Wellington Brave by 67 runs in the grand finale to win their maiden title in the history of the tournament, under the captaincy of Jess Watkin. It was another excellent season, having games that glued the viewers to their seats, and this season witnessed the spark of some fine young talents.
Otago Sparks
Otago Sparks, led by Felicity Leydon-David, had a poor campaign this season, with just 2 wins from the 10 matches that they had played. As a result, they finished at the bottom of the table with just 10 points and a net run rate of -0.820.
Felicity Leydon-David was the leading run-scorer for her side, and she was the 4th highest run scorer in the tournament with 350 runs from 10 innings at a strike rate of 73 and an average of 35. Her best batting performance came against Central Hinds, where she scored a sensational 123 off 132 balls, helping her side reach a strong total. Emma Black was the highest wicket-taker of the season with 21 wickets from 10 innings at an economy of 3. She produced her best bowling figures against Wellington Brave, as she picked up 4 wickets for just 21 runs.
Canterbury Magicians
Canterbury Magicians, led by Kate Anderson, were below average this season with 3 wins from their 10 matches. They finished in 5th place with 15 points in hand and a net run rate of -0.015.
Kate Anderson was the leading run-scorer in the tournament with 560 runs from 10 innings at a strike rate of 86 and an average of 70. Her best batting performance came against Central Hinds, where she scored a stunning 171 off just 153 balls. Sarah Asmussen was their leading wicket-taker with 19 wickets from 10 innings at an economy of 4. She finished as the 3rd highest wicket-taker in the tournament, and she produced her best bowling figures against the Northern Brave, where she picked up 4 wickets for 48 runs.
Central Hinds
Central Hinds, led by Hannah Rowe, had an average campaign this season, with 4 wins from their 10 matches, including one match that was washed out. They finished in 4th place with 20 points and a net run rate of -0.437.
Emma McLeod was the leading run-scorer for Central Hinds and the 3rd highest run-scorer in the tournament with 474 runs from 9 innings at a strike rate of 82. She put up a brilliant show against the Wellington Brave, scoring her season best, 139* off 145 balls. EJ Kohr was their leading wicket-taker with 14 wickets from 7 innings at an economy of 6. She finished as the 9th highest wicket-taker and produced her best bowling figures against the Wellington Brave, where she picked up a 4-fer.
Auckland Hearts
Auckland Hearts, led by Maddy Green, had a fine campaign as they reached the Semi-Finals and they had 5 wins from 10 matches, including an abandoned match in the group stage. They finished in 3rd place in the league phase with 25 points and a Net Run Rate of -0.462.
Maddy Green finished as the highest run scorer for the Auckland Hearts and in the entire tournament, with 334 runs from 10 innings at a strike rate of 75. Her best performance came against the Central Hinds, where she scored 109 off 98 balls. Josie Penfold is the highest wicket-taker for her side with 15 wickets from 10 innings at an economy of 4. She produced her best bowling figures against the Wellington Blaze, as she picked up 6 wickets and gave away just 30 runs.
Wellington Blaze
Wellington Blaze, led by Georgia Plimmer, had an excellent campaign as they finished as the runners-up, and they won 6 out of their 10 matches, with one game being abandoned. They finished in 2nd place in the table with 29 points and a net run rate of -0.265.
Jess Kerr finished as the leading run-scorer for her side, and she was the 10th-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 274 runs from 11 innings at a strike rate of 86. She had her best performance against the Canterbury Magicians, with 57 off just 68 balls. Jess Kerr also finished as the joint-second highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 19 wickets from 11 innings at an economy of 3. She had her best bowling figures against the Canterbury Magicians, where she picked up 7 wickets and gave away just 18 runs.
Northern Brave
Northern Brave, led by Jess Watkin, had a title-winning campaign as they won 8 out of their 10 games, with a match being abandoned. They had won in the final against Wellington Blaze in the final, and they finished in 1st place in the league phase with 39 points and a net run rate of 1.623.
Caitlin Gurrey finished as the highest run scorer for her side, and the 2nd highest run scorer in the tournament, with 491 runs from 11 innings at a strike rate of 81. Her best score came against Auckland Hearts, where she scored 99 off 98 balls. Jess Watkin picked up 18 wickets from 10 innings at an economy of 3. She had her best bowling figures against Auckland Hearts, where she picked up 3 wickets and gave away just 24 runs.
Most runs:
| Sr No | Player | Team | Runs | Innings | Strike Rate | Average |
| 1 | Kate Anderson | Canterbury Magicians | 560 | 10 | 86.15 | 70.00 |
| 2 | Caitlin Gurrey | Northern Brave | 491 | 11 | 81.83 | 44.63 |
| 3 | Emma McLeod | Central Hinds | 474 | 9 | 82.43 | 59.25 |
| 4 | Leydon-Davis | Otago Sparks | 350 | 10 | 73.83 | 35.00 |
| 5 | Maddy Green | Auckland Hearts | 334 | 10 | 75.22 | 41.75 |
Most wickets:
| Sr No | Player | Team | Wickets | Innings | Average | Economy |
| 1 | Emma Black | Otago Sparks | 21 | 10 | 15.66 | 3.46 |
| 2 | Jess Kerr | Northern Brave | 19 | 11 | 16.78 | 3.35 |
| 3 | Sarah Asmussen | Wellington Brave | 19 | 10 | 20.26 | 4.87 |
| 4 | Xara Jetly | Wellington Blaze | 19 | 11 | 21.26 | 4.34 |
| 5 | Jess Watkin | Canterbury Magicians | 18 | 10 | 15.94 | 3.49 |
Highest individual scores:
| Sr No | Player | Team | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate | Opposition |
| 1 | Kate Anderson | Canterbury Magicians | 171* | 153 | 111.76 | Central Hinds |
| 2 | Emma McLeod | Central Hinds | 139* | 145 | 95.86 | Wellington Blaze |
| 3 | Amelia Kerr | Wellington Blaze | 128 | 122 | 104.91 | Auckland Hearts |
| 4 | Leydon-Davis | Otago Sparks | 123 | 132 | 93.18 | Central Hinds |
| 5 | Maddy Green | Auckland Hearts | 109 | 98 | 111.22 | Central Hinds |
Best bowling figures:
| Sr No | Player | Team | Overs | Wickets | Economy | Opposition |
| 1 | Jess Kerr | Wellington Blaze | 8.3 | 7 | 2.11 | Canterbury Magicians |
| 2 | Josie Penfold | Auckland Hearts | 7 | 6 | 4.28 | Wellington Blaze |
| 3 | Xara Jetly | Wellington Blaze | 10 | 6 | 3.90 | Central Hinds |
| 4 | EJ Cohr | Central Hinds | 4 | 4 | 3.25 | Wellington Blaze |
| 5 | Lucy Boucher | Northern Brave | 10 | 4 | 2.10 | Wellington Blaze |
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