Wairarapa’s Ocean Bartlett bowling for the Central Districts Under-21 women’s team, with Gemma Sims wicketkeeping. PHOTOS/LISA SIMS
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JAKE BELESKI
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The Central Districts Under-21 women’s team – featuring five Wairarapa players – made an emphatic statement in their first match of the national under-21 championships in Auckland on Saturday.
CD went into the tournament as the defending champions, and showed why they are still the team to beat with a dominant nine-wicket win over Northern Districts in a one-day match.
Last year’s CD team only lost one match on their way to the national title, and this year they will be looking to emulate that performance.
CD won the toss and elected to bowl, and ND were in massive trouble at one stage, having lost seven wickets for 10 runs.
Only one ND batter got to double figures, and six players failed to get off the mark.
Wairarapa leg spinner Ocean Bartlett took 1-14 from her four overs, while Kate Sims chimed in with 2-19 from 3.2 overs.
Monique Rees also bowled two economical overs, conceding just 3 runs.
When it came to the run chase, only three CD batters got to spend time in the middle, but two of them were Wairarapa players.
Gemma Sims opened the batting and scored 16 off 38 deliveries before she was caught.
Rees came in at No 3 and finished on 20 not out off 22 deliveries, including two boundaries.
CD were set to continue their campaign with a one-day match against Auckland on Sunday, before taking on Wellington yesterday.
They will have a day off today, before playing Canterbury in a one-day match tomorrow.
On Thursday, they will play two T20s – against Otago and ND respectively – before finishing the tournament with a T20 against Wellington on Friday.
Meanwhile, at the national under-19 championships in Christchurch, the CD team – including Wairarapa’s Quinn Childs – have made a mixed start to the competition.
They started with a stunning nine-wicket win over Canterbury last Thursday, but followed that up with two losses, against Wellington and Auckland respectively.
Childs took 0-37 from 10 overs against Wellington, and 1-40 from 10 overs against Auckland.
They had a rest day on Sunday, but were set to resume with a one-day match against Otago yesterday, followed by another one-day match against ND today.
They will then have another rest day, before playing T20 matches against Otago and Canterbury [both Thursday], before finishing the competition with a T20 against Wellington on Friday.
