Wellington Blaze extend Women’s Super Smash dominance with 9th title in 8th-straight final

Table-toppers Otago Sparks, aiming for their second Super Smash title, faced defending champions Wellington Blaze, who secured their spot in their eighth consecutive Final by defeating Northern Brave in the Eliminator.

Wellington Blaze extend Women's Super Smash dominance with 9th title in 8th-straight final; PC: firebirds_blaze
Wellington Blaze extend Women’s Super Smash dominance with 9th title in 8th-straight final; PC: firebirds_blaze

Blaze skipper Melie Kerr won the toss and opted to bat first but suffered a disastrous start as Rebecca Burns was dismissed for a diamond duck without facing a ball. Recovering from the early setback, Hannah Darlington and Kerr stitched together a cautious 40-run partnership. However, just as the pair began to take control, the Sparks struck back, removing Kerr (15), Jess Kerr (3), and Darlington (26) in quick succession, losing 3/9.

The Sparks remained relentless, continuing to pick wickets at regular intervals and not allowing the Blaze to settle. Jessica McFadyen (6) departed after sharing an 11-run partnership with Maitlan Brown (24), who was next to go, leaving the Blaze at 80. Sam MacKinder (7) fell soon after, and the unbeaten pair of Natasha Codyre (6*) and Caitlin King (13*) guided the Blaze to a fighting total of 104 for the loss of eight wickets.

Felicity Robertson led the Sparks’ bowling attack with impressive figures of 3/16 from 3 overs, while Kristie Gordon supported with 2/20. Emma Black (1/20) and Anna Browning (1/6) each claimed a wicket, and both Hayley Jensen (0/19) and Eden Carson (0/23) bowled economically.

The Sparks started their chase promisingly with a 20-run partnership but then lost wickets in quick succession. Suzie Bates (9 off 18) was dismissed, followed by Bella James (12 off 6) and Olivia Gain (5 off 11), losing 3/8. Sparks captain Hayley Jensen and Caitlin Blakely tried to stabilize the innings, but both were dismissed cheaply for 6 and 9, respectively, with 55 on the board.

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Adding to the Sparks’ woes, the Kerr sisters got among the wickets, dismissing Polly Inglis (12), Anna Browning (2), and Kristie Gordon (2), followed by Darlington’s fourth, by sending Eden Carson back for a duck, as the Sparks further collapsed to 9/76. Robertson kept the Sparks in the hunt, finishing unbeaten on 29* (29), alongside Emma Black (6*), adding 20 runs. However, it was Blaze who sealed the win by 8 runs, restricting Sparks to 96/9.

Darlington spearheaded Blaze’s bowling attack brilliantly, producing impressive figures of 4/16 (4), while Melie Kerr (2/15) bagged a couple. Jess Kerr (1/18) and Maitlan Brown (1/28) claimed a wicket each, and Nicole Baird finished economically with 0/17 from 4 overs.

In their 8th straight Final, the Wellington Blaze clinched their 9th Super Smash championship, successfully defending the title they reclaimed last season. For the second consecutive season, Melie Kerr finished as the leading run-scorer with over 400 runs. While she was the leading wicket-taker last season, 23-year-old Eden Carson took over this year, claiming 18 wickets at an average of 15.38.

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