• MAJOR RECORD COULD FALL
All eyes are on Rangiora’s Mainpower Oval today where Canterbury Magicians legend Frankie Mackay has a chance of knocking off one of New Zealand Domestic cricket’s most impressive records.
Mackay needs just three runs to go past her retired teammate Amy Satterthwaite’s national record for the most List A (elite one-day) runs for a single Domestic team – a record for either men’s or women’s cricket in New Zealand.
Satterthwaite retired after the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield Final two seasons ago with 5,147 one-day runs for Canterbury from a record 158 matches, while longtime collaborator Mackay has headed into the first round of the new season of NZC Women’s Domestic Cricket with 5,145 runs, playing her 130th match today for her team.
The Canterbury men’s career record is Chris Harris’s 4,256 runs while the national men’s record is Mathew Sinclair’s 4,456 runs for the Central Stags, both of those players long since retired.
The Magicians are opening their season against defending champion the Otago Sparks, all three matches in today’s opening round having the added spice of being against traditional and neighbouring rivals.
The Sparks got off to a strong start, reaching 118/1 in 27.2 overs despite frequent weather interruptions that have since seen lunch taken. The sun is currently back out in blustery Rangiora, but should Mackay not get a chance to bat today, there is always tomorrow – when all teams will meet in the second round at the same venues.
Canterbury Magicians v Otago Sparks live scorecard and updates
Wet weather has also toyed with the Round One contest between last summer’s runner-up Wellington Blaze and the Central Hinds at the Cello Basin Reserve where early rain saw the match reduced to 43 overs per side.
Mikaela Greig won the toss and batted in her first match as Hinds captain, but a short time ago the Hinds were struggling at 92/8, with WHITE FERN Jess Kerr having taken four wickets and spinner Xara Jetly snaffling three.
The match is also Rebecca Burns’s first match as Blaze captain, and the 150th overall List A appearance for Hinds allrounder, WHITE FERN Hannah Rowe who fell to Kerr for no score.
Wellington Blaze v Central Hinds live scorecard and updates
In Mount Maunganui, warm, humid but more settled conditions have seen the first innings completed with Northern Districts putting 247 on the scoreboard (opening bat Tash Wakelin with 55) before being all out in the last over.
Auckland Hearts captain Maddy Green had sent the hosts in, and her side will require 4.96 runs per over if they’re to chalk up a first-round victory this afternoon. The match is Bay of Plenty local Nensi Patel’s 50th List A match for Northern Districts.