A calm and composed run chase backed by a starring all-round performance from Maitlan Brown helped Wellington Blaze script a six-wicket win over Otago Sparks with four balls to spare in another gripping Super Smash 2025-26 encounter at the Basin Reserve on January 9. The match swayed beautifully across both innings, but Wellington held their nerve in key moments to strengthen their position at the top of the table.
Otago Sparks won the toss and opted to bat, and the innings began solidly despite an early scare. Felicity Leydon-Davis looked positive with boundaries to get the score moving but her stay was short-lived as she became the first casualty at 40-1, trapped lbw by Ellyse Perry for 12 off 11 balls. The innings then found balance through Bella James and Caitlin Blakely, who worked through the powerplay with composure.
James added a fluent 29 off 27, finding five fours in her stay before Nicole Baird struck at 53-2, removing her with a sharp catch by Kerr. Laura Harris’s innings was much shorter, dismissed for a duck by Baird at 53-3, and Otago momentarily stalled.
However, the partnership between Captain Polly Inglis and Blakely revived the innings. Inglis swept and drove confidently, picking up 26 runs from 20 balls, including three boundaries and a six. But when Jess Kerr found bounce and turn to have her stumped at 91-4 in 12.5 overs, Wellington regained momentum.
Blakely, meanwhile, continued to anchor from the other end, crafting a patient 36 off 36 deliveries until she was run out at 130-6 in 18.3 overs. Otago struggled to find late acceleration, losing Poppy Jay Watkins to another run out at 143-7, but vital late runs from Eva Gray (10* off 6) ensured Otago reached a respectable 143/7 in 20 overs.
Wellington’s bowling reflected discipline and balance. Nicole Baird (2/17) and Jess Kerr (1/25) executed perfect middle-over plans, while Ellyse Perry bowled economically for 1/21, showing her experience. Maitlan Brown, though wicketless from four overs, was miserly with 0/30, and Hannah Francis supported with 0/16 off 2.
Chasing 144, Wellington Blaze made a confident start through Georgia Plimmer and Perry. Plimmer struck four boundaries in her 24 off 29, rotating strike well before Watkins earned the breakthrough at 65-2. Perry had already set the tone with 31 off just 20 balls, including six crisp boundaries, before Eva Gray dismissed her at 47-1.
Rebecca Burns added a steady 12 (21 balls), but her misjudged charge saw her stumped by Inglis off Anna Browning at 74-3, injecting tension into the match. Otago sensed a possible shift when Jess Kerr’s promising 30 off 20 ended via Gray at 143-4, leaving Wellington needing just one hit to win.
But Maitlan Brown was the standout of the chase, playing with elegance and perfect clarity. Her unbeaten 44 off 25 balls, studded with eight boundaries, ensured Wellington kept control even under scoreboard pressure. Xara Jetly arrived late to seal the game with 4* as Wellington crossed the line at 147/4 in 19.2 overs.
Otago’s bowlers worked tirelessly, Eva Gray impressed most with 2/35, Watkins returned 1/30, while Browning finished with 1/10 from just two overs. Emma Black and Chloe Deerness kept the economy tight but lacked breakthroughs in pressure moments.
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