Some White Ferns made their first Hallyburton Johnstone Shield appearances over the weekend leading into Super Smash action later on this week and while Wellington Blaze unleashed 14-year-old leggy Kate Chandler, Chandler is one of many young kiwi wahine dominating Aotearoa's HBJ Shield. Chandler took 5w @ 4.47rpo in Wellington's win over Canterbury on Saturday to be sitting 5th for HBJ Shield bowlers and the vibe hasn't changed throughout these HBJ Shield wraps as all the best bowlers are youngsters benefitting from consistent opportunities.

Here are the the leading bowlers down to Canterbury's Frances Mackay who is deep in another summer of being among the best bowlers and batswomen in Aotearoa, in any format. Mackay is 9th with her offies, taking 8w @ 21avg/3.29rpo and 4th with the bat via her 244 runs @ 40.66avg/73.93sr. Top-eight HBJ Shield bowlers:

Jacinta Savage (Cant): 11w @ 9.54avg/3.60rpo/15.9sr - 25yrs.

Jess Watkin (CD): 11w @ 10.72avg/2.52rpo/25.4sr - 22yrs.

Sarah Asmussen (Cant): 11w @ 16.54avg/4.33rpo/22.9sr - 20yrs.

Jesse Prasad (Auck): 9w @ 8.88avg/2.87rpo/18.5sr - 21yrs.

Kate Chandler (Well): 9w @ 14.22avg/4.89rpo/17.4sr - 14yrs.

Fran Jonas (Auck): 9w @ 16avg/3.89rpo/24.6sr - 16yrs.

Brooke Halliday (ND): 8w @ 16.87avg/3.34rpo/30.2sr - 25yrs.

Monique Rees (CD): 8w @ 17.25avg/4.45rpo/23.2ssr - 20yrs.

The best HBJ Shield bowlers right now, are all under the age of 25 years. That's fairly bonkers and while there is an emerging pocket of Aotearoa's young spin bowling pipeline given that Amelia Kerr leads the way, then of that group above Asmussen and Chandler are both leggies, while Jonas is a lefty-tweaker. Otago's Eden Carson is 19-years-old as well and after impressing in last summer's Super Smash, Carson's played all six games with 5w @ 41.40avg/4.94rpo and that gives Aotearoa four spinners including Kerr who are doing some nifty things and are under 20yrs.

Savage's 11w have come in just 4inns and for Canterbury, having a seamer in Savage and leggy Asmussen both with 11w is why they are 5-1 alongside Central Districts at the top of the ladder. CD Hinds have Watkin with 11w, then Rees with 8w and it's the same split here as Watkin's delivering offies and Reese the seam. Auckland's Prasad is the most notable bowler in that group though and the Hearts are 3rd - 4-2 with back to back wins over Northern Districts on the weekend - thanks to the same recipe as Prasad's dealing in seam, Jonas with the spin.

Prasad has taken a wicket in all but one game and she hasn't taken more than 2w in an innings, yet only three bowlers have more wickets than her. Last season in the HBJ Shield, Prasad played just four games and took 4w @ 24.75avg/5.44rpo and now Prasad has the second best strike-rate of the leading bowlers, taking her wickets every 18.5 deliveries with Savage leading that with 15.9sr.

Speaking of bowling strike-rates, 19-year-old Canterbury seamer Kate Sims has 7w @ 11.28avg with a strike-rate of 18 which puts her behind Savage, slightly ahead of Prasad. It's fairly amazing to have all these young bowlers leading the way in HBJ Shield and of the 18 bowlers who have taken 7+ wickets, none of them are currently in the White Ferns mix. Watkin is the only notable bowler with her White Ferns ties, although she last played international cricket in late 2018 and flowing on from that, the group with 7+ wickets features Savage, Watkin and Jonas who received NZC Development Contracts.

That means that of the group of 18 bowlers with 7+ wickets, 15 of them aren't linked to the White Ferns of NZC Development Contracts. Pretty freaking cool.

Of the White Ferns who bounced back into domestic cricket...

Jess Kerr (Well): 2w @ 24.50avg/4.08rpo.

Anna Peterson (Auck): 2w @ 28avg/3.11rpo.

Holly Huddleston (Auck): 1w @ 34avg/4.85rpo.

Amy Satterthwaite (Cant): 82 runs @ 41avg/86.31sr - 1 x 50.

Katey Martin (Ota): 124 runs @ 62avg/97.63sr - 1 x 100.

Lauren Down (Auck): 81 run s@ 20.25avg/75sr.

Katie Perkins (Auck): 152 runs @ 50.66avg/73.07sr - 1 x 50.

Kate Ebrahim continues to chill as the best batswoman of the HBJ Shield first stanza, with scores of 48 and 35 taking her to 328 runs @ 65.60avg/80.58sr. The Canterbury veteran is the only player with three 50+ scores and she has also scored 30+ in all but one of her six appearances, which when combined with Mackay breaking a four-game run of scores less than 20 with her 68 on the weekend, gives Canterbury rather solid batting duo.

Brooke Halliday is in that bowling group above, while also sitting 2nd in runs with 264 runs @ 52.80avg/84.07sr. Then we have CD Hinds' Natalie Dodd who did get a White Ferns opportunity in the recent ODI series vs Australia, who is 3rd in runs thanks to scores of 17, 14*, 37*, 22, 50* and 108*. All those not-outs give Dodd 248 runs @ 124avg/68.50sr and the only other batswoman with more than three not-outs is Dodd's CD homie Watkin who has three not-out innings; Dodd's the anchor, Watkin the slugger with her 158.49sr.

For context, no other player has a strike-rate over 100.

Watkin has hit 10 sixes, no other player has hit more than three sixes.

As we move into the women's Super Smash, Watkin is obviously a batswoman to pay attention to and while ND' Caitlin Gurrey hasn't jacked up huge runs, she is another who will command attention as the formats switch. Last season, Gurrey finished 3rd in Super Smash runs (52avg/133.33sr) and in this HBJ Shield campaign, Gurrey has just been solid without dominating as she has three 40+ scores (one 50+) in her 6inns.

Here are the best HBJ Shield batters right now, with where they ranked in the Super Smash last summer...

Kate Ebrahim - N/A.

Brooke Halliday - 30th, 17avg/116.43sr.

Natalie Dodd - 8th, 30.33avg/98.55sr.

Frances Mackay - 6th, 37.25avg/76.21sr.

Jess McFadyen - N/A.

Caitlin Blakely - N/A

Jess Watkin - 7th, 27.50avg/152.77sr.

Caitlin Gurrey - 3rd, 52avg/133.33sr.

Polly Inglis - N/A

Katie Perkins -1st, 69.28avg/126.63sr.

Hit an ad to support the kiwi cricket yarns. Or jump on Patreon because that’s the super cool.

Peace and love.