The defending champion MAGICIANS recorded their first win of the 2021/22 Hallyburton Johnstone Shield campaign with a hard-fought victory over the Otago Sparks on Sunday 21st November.

Amy Satterthwaite’s 150th List A game for Canterbury was a long, rain affected affair that saw the match reduced to 49 overs apiece. Batting first, Frankie Mackay and Abigale Gerken strode to the crease – the latter coming off the back of a maiden List A half-century the day before – and went about setting a total for their Southern rivals to chase.

Mackay and the teenage Gerken compiled 47 for the first wicket before the captain was dismissed by WHITE FERNS duo (bowled) Jensen and (caught) Bates. Amy Satterthwaite joined Gerken and the two put on 76 together, with the experienced Satterthwaite upping the tempo and Gerken rotating the strike well. Gerken brought up her second 50 in as many days just before Satterthwaite departed for 46.

Gerken continued to navigate the Sparks attack well – finding runs all around the park and using her feet to the spinners to go over the top. Jacinta Savage played a key supporting role to Gerken’s headliner innings, hitting just short of a run-a-ball 61 in a massive partnership worth 117.

Gerken brought up her first ever century in the 47th over, a marathon innings that the most experienced players would envy, that anchored the MAGICIANS chase and allowed her teammates to play with relative freedom around her.

The order was shuffled and Lea Tahuhu joined Gerken at the crease to play the pinch-hitter role that Canterbury fans are so used to seeing. Tahuhu read the script and blitzed 22 off 11, including 2 sixes, and was eventually caught on the boundary in the last over.

With plenty of wickets in hand heading into the final over, former MAGICIAN-turned-Spark Kate Ebrahim bowled an intriguing final over that went for 11 but also took three wickets. Great for the average, not great for the RPO.

The Sparks showed their class with WHITE FERNS Bates and Ebrahim opening up in the second innings, piling on the runs for a partnership of 104 before Satterthwaite took the wicket of the Otago Captain. Satterthwaite took her second in her following over and Savage had her first a few overs later, reducing the Sparks to 155/3, needing just over 100 from the final 20 overs.

Hayley Jensen and Katey Martin shared the third 100 run partnership for the match and kept the run rate well within grasp leading into the final 4 overs. The turning point of the innings came when Jess Simmons took the wicket of Jensen, thanks to a phenomenal catch from Amy Satterthwaite, running in from the rope and diving forwards to pluck the ball off the turf.

Satterthwaite then backed up her fielding by bowling the penultimate over, taking the wicket of Inglis and only leaking 5 runs, giving MAGICIANS Captain Frankie Mackay 12 runs to play with heading into the final over.

The pressure proved too much for the visitors, with Mackay holding her nerve and holding off Martin and Blakely to get the MAGICIANS over the line by 7 runs.

A dressing room presentation followed, with Amy Satterthwaite being recognised by her teammates and whanau for her incredible contribution to the women’s game, not only in Canterbury but nationwide.

The MAGICIANS will now look to carry their momentum into the start of the Super Smash this coming Friday when they take on the Wellington Blaze!

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