CDCA is on course to make history this summer after the Central Hinds added the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield to the trophy cabinet at the weekend.
A fine win in the 2018/19 Grand Final at Pukekura Park capped a superb one-day season from the Central Hinds — and now raises the possibility of a rare trifecta across all three formats of national Major Association cricket by Central teams this summer.
The Central Stags have already claimed the 2018/19 Burger King Super Smash men’s trophy. The Hinds have lifted the national one-day trophy. And, if the Stags defend the Plunket Shield — which they are presently on course to do as one of the remaining live contenders, with a possibility of securing the Shield in the current penultimate round — the first-class (four-day) national title will also remain with CD.
CDCA high performance teams have never before won first-class, List A and Twenty20 national titles in the same season, while the Central Stags have never won white-ball and red-ball trophies in the same season. Central’s previous most successful summer was 2009/10, when both the Stags and Hinds won their respective T20 national titles and the Hinds also did the white-ball double by winning the women’s one-day trophy (now called the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield).
CDCA is thrilled to congratulate the Central Hinds players and team management on lifting the one-day title this season. The Hinds had gone into their first one-day national Final in nine seasons as the top qualifiers, and proved it was no fluke with a convincing 39-run victory over defending champions the Auckland Hearts.
The hosts would defend a score of 200 all out after having been sent in, then bowled out the Hearts for 161 with three overs in hand — set up by a stunning opening spell by Hannah Rowe (3-26) who had claimed three stellar wickets at the top of the order.
Earlier, Hinds captain Anlo van Deventer top-scored for the Hinds with 60, having formed a crucial 90-run second-wicket stand with the season’s star opening batsman Natalie Dodd. The pair was coming off a stunning all-time record partnership together in Round 10, and continued to shine in the Grand Final, brushing off the unfamiliar pressure of the occasion to put the team in a good position.
Dodd would finish as the season’s top run-scorer nationally, as well as the new Central record-holder for most runs in a one-day season. Van Deventer also finished in the top three nationally in the run aggregates — with the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield title a career first for both, as it was for all their teammates in a breakthrough season.
Dodd finished with 652 runs from 11 innings at a head-turning 108.66 average, including two centuries, two half-centuries and a high score of 142; as well as making 19 dismissals behind the stumps (16 catches, three stumpings).
Van Deventer reached 514 runs from 11 innings at 86.16, including the first two hundreds of her Hinds career, and four half-centuries. The captain’s season haul sees her finish in third spot, just marginally behind Canterbury’s Kate Ebrahim — a former Central Hinds teammate and Taranaki legend — who scored 517 runs from her one-day summer.
Pace bowler Rosemary Mair finished with 17 wickets, behind only Blaze spinner Deanna Doughty, at 15.29 while Dodd was the country’s top woman with the keeping gloves, finishing 10 dismissals clear of the rest of the field.
“I keep my eye on stats, but it’s not what drives me”, said a delighted Dodd afterwards.
“I just love scoring runs and enjoying my cricket. It’s a really exciting win for the Central Hinds after the work that they have put into their young ones, and you could see that coming for a long time. I think that started with [the late former coach] Mike Shrimpton, he’d always have them in the nets working really hard. That exciting group of girls is coming through now and Jamie Watkins has carried it on. We’re not a team of superstars — everyone has just stepped up and done their job.”
Dodd said beating a strong side like the Hearts in a Final would give the young players tremendous confidence moving forward into next summer.
“The Hearts are always tough, a very well drilled side and never make anything easy. They have a solid batting line-up, solid attack and outstanding fielders, as we saw in the Final, so we are really stoked that we could win by that margin, when it counted.”
Remarkably it was the first time 26-year-old Dodd, who formerly represented Northern Spirit, had lifted a national trophy in her career, which stretches back more than 11 years.
“It feels very good! I’m stoked for the girls and think it confirms the move to the green worked for me, too. It gave me more energy coming into a new environment, new people, a new way of doing things. I’m really enjoying my cricket. I was really desperate to contribute and be a valuable member of the side.”
Van Deventer made special mention of the Pukekura Park groundstaff whose efforts led to a full 50-over match for the Final, despite torrential rain the day before. The Grand Final was delayed by only 45 minutes as the sun came out for the big occasion and steam rose off the outfield.
“I was really happy we were able to not only get on the park, but get the full 50-over game in — because we know the longer game is one of our strengths, rather than playing reduced overs.”
The Hinds batted through to the final over, and although wickets fell regularly after the Hearts had broken the Dodd-van Deventer partnership, she felt confident 200 all out was a defendable total.
“Getting runs on the board is a huge factor in any final so we really tried to believe and back ourselves that we had enough there. We knew that we had one of the best bowling attacks in the competition, so we backed ourselves to be able to defend that total and take a few early wickets to put ourselves in that winning position.”
From 85 for five, the experienced Hearts duo of Holly Huddleston (56) and Arlene Kelly (21) fought back through the middle stages of the chase to keep van Deventer on her toes.
“Having played club cricket with both of them in Auckland, I know that they can both definitely handle a bat so by no means was the game won for us by that stage. But we had talked as a team about trying to minimise boundaries, really trying to restrict the run-scoring by sticking to our plans and then, by doing that, generating wicket-taking opportunities from there.”
Mikaela Greig broke the stubborn stand with Kelly caught in the 34th over before Jess Watkin swung into action with two key late wickets — Huddleston stumped by Dodd after trying to charge the young spinner.
“Jess is always so economical and very accurate for us, she’s bowled well all summer so it was very exciting to see her get those rewards and effectively seal the game for us,” said van Deventer.
“The other big moment for me was when Hannah Rowe got [Hearts number four] Katie Perkins caught behind. Katie has been in outstanding form all season and we knew that even with a few early wickets, that Perky would be a big one for us. She had the ability to take a game away from you. I thought it was the best Rowey had bowled this season.”
The skipper’s own contribution by top-scoring in the Final was not insignificant. Van Deventer says it was a tough 60 runs off 96 deliveries against the Hearts’ “excellent” attack.
“It was definitely a grind! You do go through ebbs and flows in an innings and, while we had started off quite well, it did get quite tough, especially once they took the pace off the ball. It was a real mental battle to try to push through that 40-, 50-run stage.”
Van Deventer would ultimately bat for 31 overs of the Final, but was quick to deflect credit for the successful season to her entire team.
“I look back on this season and think that you can’t do anything without a good team behind you — and I had an outstanding unit behind me this year.
“How they’ve come from the young bunch of teenagers to this really experienced team that has such belief in themselves, and each other, that is just so special to me.”
Article added: Monday 11 March 2019
