Cricket: Central roll Canterbury in womens final

Central Districts coach Lincoln Doull was as surprised as anyone when his disparate band of players stunned favourites Canterbury to win the State League women's cricket final for the first time.

Central's five-wicket win in Christchurch on Saturday was the first senior women's prize in the association's history and fully deserved.

They reduced the twice-defending champions to 150 for nine and still had 17 balls up their sleeve when they reached 151 for five.

White Fern Sara McGlashan starred with an unbeaten 55 for the winners, although the miserly job of their bowlers was just as important at QEII Village Green, as Canterbury crashed to just the second defeat of their 11-game season.

Former Wellington allrounder Doull was still coming to terms with the result as the champagne corks flew soon afterwards.

"Canterbury are a hell of a good side. You look at both sides on paper, we were huge underdogs," he said.

"Sometimes it's easy to rise as the underdogs rather than perform consistently as the favourites.

"We lifted it today and perhaps Canterbury didn't play at the level they're entitled to play at."

Doull said the performance was a remarkable contrast from when his team twice lost to the same opponents at the same ground a month ago. In both those games Canterbury compiled big scores that couldn't be hauled in.

"Out of the 10 round-robin games, the games here were by far the worst we had bowled and fielded," he said.

"Today we put it together and it made the difference.

"They've learned a little about themselves along the way [this season]. In the end they probably had a bit of self-belief about how to perform in a game of cricket."

The Central squad comprises six players from the four-team Hawkes Bay women's club competition. The others play in men's grades in Manawatu, Wairarapa and Taranaki as those provinces don't have enough women to create a league.

Zara McWilliams and Donna Trow - two players Doull believes should be in the frame for New Zealand A selection - took three for 37 and one for 13 respectively and captain Aimee Mason conceded just 16 from 10 overs in a surprise role with the new ball.

The plan to open with accurate White Fern Mason worked as the usually-dominant Canterbury top order became frustrated. Haidee Tiffen and Beth McNeill shared their top score of 25.

By contrast, the Central top order was aggressive, attempting to pepper the boundary as often as possible, even managing it against in-form spinner Rebecca Steele.

"We've encouraged the girls to play a bit more like blokes rather than girls, especially at the top of the order," Doull said.

Amy Satterthwaite eventually claimed the scalps of the Central top three but McGlashan steered the visitors home, following on from her century against Canterbury last month.

Doull doubted any of his players outside incumbents Mason or McGlashan would have forced their way into the White Ferns, but believed several would be knocking on the door of New Zealand A selection. That side will play the national team in three games before India arrive for a five-match series at Lincoln in March.

The New Zealand squad of 13 will still probably feature a clutch of the Canterbury players beaten yesterday.

- NZPA