Magicians conjure win over Blaze; Firebirds topple Kings

Send Wellington Blaze run machine Sophie Devine back to the pavilion cheaply and your chances of victory skyrocket.

Combine that with compelling performances from two other giants of women’s cricket – Amy Satterthwaite and wife Lea Tahuhu – and the Canterbury Magicians upset the Twenty20 Super Smash frontrunners at the Basin Reserve yesterday.

Satterthwaite moved to the top of the women’s run charts with her dominant, unbeaten knock of 71 off 50 balls guiding the Magicians to a nine-wicket victory over the Blaze with 10 deliveries to spare. Wellington’s 132-9 always looked skinny, after Tahuhu removed Devine for just 13 early on.

Canterbury’s fifth win of the competition saw them move within two points of leaders the Blaze to heat up the race for top spot and automatic entry to the final with two rounds to play.

After the early run out of Magicians skipper Frankie Mackay (8) in an awful mixup with opening partner Natalie Cox, Satterthwaite controlled the chase expertly and added an unbroken 100 with Cox (48 not out).

Tahuhu (2-22) led the way with the ball, softening up Devine with a short-pitched barrage early, then in the third over of her spell snaring the prized wicket caught at a wide first slip.

Meanwhile a powerhouse Tom Blundell knock lifted a 10-man Wellington Firebirds to the brink of a repeat home final in the men’s Twenty20 Super Smash, ushering in a sevenwicket victory over Canterbury Kings.

With fellow Firebirds batsman Rachin Ravindra watching from the dugout, his right arm in a sling after dislocating his shoulder in the field, Blundell cracked an unbeaten 62 off 42 balls to chase down 154 with two balls to spare at the Basin Reserve yesterday.

Wellington needed 20 off the final two overs and Blundell broke the back of it by taking 13 off Will Williams’ over including a booming six into the anniversary holiday crowd on the hill. With seven needed off Daryl Mitchell’s final over there was controversy as home skipper Michael Bracewell left his crease early and Mitchell stopped in delivery stride but chose not to run out the non-striker, as he was entitled to do.

Off the next ball, Blundell stepped inside the slower bouncer and lapped it for four and it was game over.

The defending champion Firebirds moved eight points clear of the Kings and Central Stags, and only heavy defeats in their final two matches will deny them top spot on net run rate and a Basin final on February 13.

Opener Devon Conway set up victory with 50 off 40 balls before he was bounced out by Matt Henry (1-22).