Earlier this year I wrote about Otago Sparks optimism as they came out of last summer with a 3-17 record across Hallyburton Johnston Shield and Super Smash. 10 games in HBJ SHield for 10 losses and 10 Super Smash games for three wins and seven losses told the story of a young Sparks outfit adjusting to domestic cricket in Aotearoa. This summer the vibe is vastly different and the seed of optimism has started to sprout into a fun kiwi cricket team.

This summer is slightly different as Auckland Hearts are yet to play a game, while Northern Brave joined the women's cricket party late. Otago have won both their Super Smash games so far, while three of their seven HBJ Shield games were rained out with the Sparks winning three of four games played. The Sparks have played the most games of any team across HBJ Shield and SS this summer, with the most wins as well.

We'll see how that plays out as SS game start to stack up through the depths of December. Auckland will be fizzing for cricket and Sophie Devine may return from her WBBL championship campaign to bolster Wellington. Given Amelia Kerr's dominance for Wellington, adding Devine would be a massive boost for the Blaze and there is a fun wrinkle to enjoy here as the domestic summer evolves.

This yarn isn't about celebrating Otago Sparks as the best team in Aotearoa, it's here to highlight funky development and an entertaining experience. Otago have three of Aotearoa's best batters leading their team right now with Suzie Bates, Kate Ebrahim and Katey Martin in fabulous form. Stack a team with Aotearoa's best concentration of young talent around three of Aotearoa's best batters and Otago Sparks have a group that should take them into finals cricket.

Here is what the veteran trio have done so far this summer...

Suzie Bates: 80 runs @ 20avg (HBJ) | 1st - 140 runs @ 140avg/126sr (SS).

Kate Ebrahim: 2nd - 240 runs @ 80avg (HBJ) | 16 runs @ 8avg/72sr (SS).

Katey Martin: 3rd - 240 runs @ not dismissed (HBJ) | 36 runs @ 18avg/87.80sr (SS).

Bates has scores of 64 and 76* so far in SS, streaking with three scores of 60+ with her last HBJ Shield knock. Ebrahim had three 50+ scores in her first four HBJ Shield games, while Martin scored her HBJ Shield runs with a strike-rate of 118. There is immense White Ferns context around this trio, yet their leadership in guiding a young Sparks group through the summer is pretty damn funky by itself.

Polly Inglis and Caitlin Blakely have both chimed in with runs across both competitions. They are both averaging 30+ in HBJ Shield after 3inns and both having strike-rates over 100 in SS which is an important marker for young batters as they rarely cruise along with such ease. With the veteran trio scoring most of the runs for Otago, someone like Inglis can settle into her opening slot and develop with her opening partner Bates while knowing that Ebrahim and Martin are next in.

The bowlers are the funkiest Sparks thing though. Otago have Sophie Oldershaw and Eden Carson as their spinners, while Molly Loe and Emma Black form the seam duo. The departure of Hayley Jensen for a few weeks will add a fresh wrinkle of intrigue as Jensen took 4w @ 5rpo in her one SS appearance, while also taking 6w @ 18.66avg in four HBJ Shield games. While Ebrahim has 3w @ 12avg in SS and 4w @ 22.25avg in HBJ Shield, Jensen is the senior frontline bowler and the youngsters will now need to take over with Ebrahim's help.

Oldershaw is listed as a leggy on Cricinfo and NZC, however her leggy action churns out more off-spinning deliveries than classic leggies. These look like 'wrongies' for a leggy as well as looking like straight up offies for some deliveries, so I'm not sure precisely what Oldershaw serves up but along with Carson she is a young crafty spinner. Carson is more of a standard offie and her natural action, rip on the ball and flight all look glorious.

Carson leads this duo in HBJ Shield with 7w @ 16.28avg, while Oldershaw has 5w @ 27.80avg. This flips around with Oldershaw taking 4w @ 8.25avg in SS and Carson has just the 1w @ 41avg. However this is sliced, Otago Sparks have a young spinner among the best bowlers in either competition and this is the same for seamers Loe and Black.

Black delivers a natural in-swing, while Loe leans on typical out-swing to righties. Black is the only seamer in HBJ Shield top-five bowlers with 9w @ 15.22avg and Loe has 5w @ 26.40avg. Loe played her first SS game over the weekend with 2w, while Black has 2w in her two games so far.

That's how the season has started and now we enter a phase for Otago Sparks without Jensen, as well as greater competition with Auckland in the mix. Otago players are higher up the batting/bowling charts thanks to playing more games and the funk here is seeing how this looks at the end of December. The Sparks have already passed last season's combined win tally and there is plenty of room for further progress via dominant mahi from Otago's best, or further shooting sprouts from the youngsters.

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Peace and love.