RAIN, WIND AND A CLOSE HEARTS' WIN

December 1, 2018. The Auckland Hearts resumed their defence of the Hallyburton Johnstone 50-Over trophy over the weekend. With wind and rain dominating Saturday’s forecast, TWDad questioned why one might even leave the house. If there was ever going to be a game though, it was at Colin Maiden Park – the setting for the Hearts’ first home game of the summer.

The Northern Spirit won the toss and chose to bowl first. Play started on time, but there was rain in the air and, at some point, it would play its part. Early on, Mereana Hyde settled on a tricky length and in her second over drew an edge out of Saachi Shahri. Hyde also forced a couple of uppish drives as Lauren Down and Maddy Green consolidated.

Down pulled two Lily Mulivai full tosses to the mid-wicket boundary and Green flicked confidently through a similar area to test the outfield. There were no signs of sluggishness to the outfield as Down pulled another boundary square of the wicket. By the end of the mandatory powerplay, at 45/1, the Hearts had set a solid foundation.

Green was brave – twice hitting aerially into the wind. The skipper then took ten runs off the 14th over accessing the leg-side as Brianna Perry struggled into the wind. Play neared the first drinks break as steady showers came across the ground. We were in a rain delay at 75/1 after 16 overs. When you can’t see Waiheke, it’s time to get the big covers on – a local explained. The players gathered around the television playing the Ford Trophy Final shocked to see the Volts in the mire.

When play resumed, the match had been reduced to 45 overs. Productive overs before the rain would later prove crucial with calculations to be done at the innings break. The Spirit were disciplined. Spin came on in the form of Eimear Richardson and the Irish International kept things quiet. One short of what would have been a third consecutive half-century to start the HBJ Trophy, Down’s attempted lofted drive into the wind ended up with Hyde at mid-off. It ended a fine 97-run second-wicket stand.

Hyde was brought back into the attack and she found a way through the defences of Green (38) – another promising inning cut short. Kate Anderson proved difficult to get away, but Katie Perkins, Regina Lili’i and Holly Huddleston all kept the score moving.

With long boundaries, the Hearts made use of the big outfield. Good running meant the lack of boundaries weren’t overly telling. Anderson (3-38) grabbed regular wickets to stifle any late innings momentum. Diving on the ring at mid-wicket, Felicity Leydon-Davis sensationally snaffled a hart-hit swipe from Perkins. A run-a-ball finish ensured the Hearts crossed 200 with Arlene Kelly getting low to deftly scoop to the vacant fine-leg boundary.

203/6 would be adjusted to a target of 209 for the Spirit to chase. Honours even. The innings started with a couple of Bella Armstong wides before Katie Gurrey and Sam Curtis went patiently about their work. Curtis was the first to show any real aggression and Roz McNeill proved up to the challenge. McNeill found a bit of extra bounce, Curtis tried to pull and the ball lobbed out to Perkins on the legside.

Gurrey carried on with Bernadine Bezuidenhout. The Spirit pair found their feet, but the Hearts managed to lift the required run-rate towards six and over. Bezuidenhout, who was enjoying gliding the width offered to her, had a running battle with Lili’i at gully. Lili’i was in fine fielding form. We get it. You’re a good fielder, one of her teammates exclaimed after a third diving stop.

Youngster Skye Bowden was brought into the attack and Gurrey took the opportunity to get on top of her early. It was tactically rather clever, particularly with the required rate blowing out. Bowden’s two overs may have only gone for 13, but the Spirit needed something to get the innings going.

Up stepped Green. Bezuidenhout wasn’t in the mood to take a look at her White Ferns’ teammate sweeping twice in Green’s first over of off-spin. Having slipped attempting to get back to her ground, Bezuidenhout cleared her spikes of grass before attempting to sweep a third time. The right-hander played over the top of it and Green had put the you miss, I hit theory into practice. Four overs later, Gurrey (48) followed by pulling hard to a waiting Down at deep-square.

Cricket, and captaincy, is about moments. Sensing them. Embracing them. Winning them. The Spirit were ahead. Credit to Green here – bowling some tough overs and taking two big wickets to turn the game. At 105/3 – with a potential 17 overs still to bowl – there will have been the temptation to keep bowling, but Green turned to the extra pace of Huddleston. Huddleston didn’t disappoint cleaning Anderson out to take a significant fourth Spirit wicket.

Ten balls later, the rain came. This time no further play would be possible and the Hearts would win by 7 runs (DLS). It is uncanny how often the overs immediately prior to rain have such a bearing on rain-affected matches. Maybe it’s simply the moments we analyse the most. The Hearts happened to, knowingly or otherwise, up their runrate and retain wickets before rain interrupted the first innings. The Spirit, attempting to force their position, lost their way before the rain and subsequently fell agonisingly short of a win via Duckworth Lewis Stern.