The Spotlight Reporting Wellington Blaze continued their scorching unbeaten run, going eight from eight with just two games to come in their regular season of 2021/22.
And, they did it in emphatic style as women's Dream11 Super Smash returned to Whangarei's Cobham Oval for the first time since December 2016.
A young Jess Kerr had made her T20 debut that day for the Blaze, but today she could practically sit back and enjoy the show as younger sister Melie Kerr and Xara Jetly both turned in exceptional performances with the ball, and in windy conditions as the tailend of a cyclone brushed on by.
From the polar end of the table, Northern Brave captain Brooke Halliday had won the toss and batted against the top side in the league and it quickly fell apart for the hosts after Jess Kerr (1-18) got dangerwoman Caitlin Gurrey caught in the third over.
Jetly took the catch and she would be in the thick of the action again at the opposite end of the innings after she came on in the 12th over with the Brave already deep in trouble at 44/6.
Jetly bowled what turned out to be the last three overs of the innings from her end for a sensational performance of 3-2-1-4.
Sam Barriball (22) had taken just a single and two leg byes off her first over, and was run out off Melie Kerr in the next.
Jetly then bowled a wicket maiden for the 14th, with Holly Topp caught by the safe hands of skipper Maddy Green.
But it was the final over of the innings, a triple wicket maiden in the 16th, that was the real showstopper: .W.W.W for Jetly who wrote herself into the record books with the best T20 performance for her side, her 4-1 trumping even Melie Kerr's phenomenal 4-4 against Northern in Lincoln in 2018/19.
Jetly's previous career best was already a great haul in itself: 4-9 that had been equal second for Blaze, alongside Green's 4-9, both from last summer's campaign.
Almost overshadowed on this occasion, Melie Kerr meanwhile napped up 3-9 off her four overs today with another peerless display of leg-spin mastery.
Unfortunately for the Brave, that wasn't the only statchat of the day.
Rolled for 46 in 16 overs, it was the lowest ever team total in women's Dream11 Super Smash history (relieving the Central Hinds of the least desired record after their 56 against the Blaze in 2019/20, now bumped into second).
Blaze's batters barely needed to blink to chase that down in just 6.2 overs, but they did lose a couple of wickets along the way to the tall young pace bowler Emma Baker (2-17).
Back for her first T20 on this side of the Tasman after having lifted Australia's Big Bash trophy, Sophie Devine smashed Baker for six to pocket the eight-run win in style.
The big victory swept Blaze four points above the Otago Sparks on the league ladder.
The Blaze has a game in hand over their big southern rivals as well as a massive net run rate advantage, and just one more win will officially put the red seal on their invitation to the Grand Final.
Article added: Sunday 16 January 2022
