WELLINGTON, New Zealand, CMC – Top West Indies Women’s player Stafanie Taylor had mixed results last weekend, as the national One-day and Twenty20 competitions came to a close last weekend.
The 21-year-old from Jamaica hit a hundred to lead the Auckland Hearts to a five-wicket victory in the Final of the Women’s One-day competition against the Canterbury Magicians on Saturday.
Taylor failed with the bat the following day however, as her side fell to a 29-run defeat at the hands of the same opponents in the Final of the Twenty20 competition at Hagley Park in Christchurch.
In the One-day Final, Taylor struck 16 boundaries in 110 from 143 balls, as Auckland successfully chased 202 for a crisp victory at Mainpower Oval in Rangiora.
Auckland were dominant with the bat with Taylor and fellow opener Samantha Curtis looking like they might make the total themselves.
Curtis was dismissed in the 25th over for 40, leaving the Hearts 113 for one, but Taylor was seeing the ball like the proverbial football and carried on whacking the bowlers around the ground.
The West Indian import was sadly dismissed just before the final runs were made, but Hearts captain Victoria Lynd took the reins and saw her side to victory with 24 balls remaining.
Earlier, Frances Mackay was the rock of the innings for Canterbury and lasted until the final over before being run out on 93, as the Magicians posted 201 for seven off their 50 overs.
Taylor, bowling her off-spin, grabbed one wicket for 39 runs from nine overs.
In the T20 Final, Taylor’s good nick deserted her and she fell for seven, as Auckland failed to successfully chase 114 for victory at Hagley Park in Christchurch.
Things did not go the way of the Hearts had planned, as Canterbury picked up the enormously important wicket of Taylor for just seven, when she was stumped off Erin Bermingham.
The celebrations showed that Canterbury believed they now had a real chance, and they kept taking wickets to prevent Auckland from building a match-winning partnership.
Earlier, Taylor collected two for 30 from four overs, as Janet Brehaut top-scored for Canterbury with 32, but no one else in the top order could really get going with wickets falling regularly and the home team clawed their way to 113 for eight from 20 overs.
