Magicians conjure up win over Blaze

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 mix-up with opening partner Natalie Cox, Satterthwaite controlled the chase expertly and added an unbroken 100 with Cox (48 not out).

The former White Ferns skipper seized her chance against offspinner Xara Jetly, the day after the 19-year-old’s career-best haul of 4-9 against Otago.

Advancing down the pitch in classical style, Satterthwaite went 6, 4, 2, 4, 4 to help take 22 off one Jetly over and the Magicians were ahead of the game from then on.

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.