2025/26 HBJ Shield: Round Three Basics

Northern Districts, Otago and Wellington dominated the last HBJ Shield weekend series for the year with ND and Wellington perched at the top of the ladder.

Auckland

Two losses vs Northern Districts | 3-3 | 3rd | 14 points

Best Performers vs Northern Districts

  • Bella Armstrong: 65 runs @ 104sr | 2w @ 5.1rpo

  • Bree Illing: 2w @ 3.8rpo | 1w @ 5.4rpo

Best Performers This Season

  • Prue Catton: 195 runs @ 39avg/78sr

  • Brooke Halliday: 170 runs @ 56.6avg/67sr | 3w @ 30.6avg/4.6rpo

  • Maddy Green: 136 runs @ 27.2avg/66sr | 5w @ 16.2avg/4.2rpo

  • Bella Armstrong: 115 runs @ 28.7avg/74sr | 4w @ 37.5avg/4.6rpo

  • Bree Illing: 9w @ 23.1avg/4rpo

  • Fran Jonas: 8w @ 16.3avg/4.8rpo

  • Josie Penfold: 8w @ 19.8avg/4.4rpo

Notebook

Halliday and Catton have two 50+ scores each. Along with Armstrong and Green, four Auckland batters have a 50+ score.

Catton is fifth for runs overall. She has a List-A batitng average of 21.4.

Illing has a wicket in six consecutive games after not taking a wicket in the first game of the season. She has a LA bowling average of 26.2.

All Auckland batters are below 80sr and all bowlers are conceding over 3.5rpo.

Northern Districts

Two wins vs Auckland | 5-1 | 1st | 23 points

Best Performers vs Auckland

  • Nensi Patel: 4w @ 4.1rpo | 33* @ 103sr | 3w @ 3.4rpo

  • Kayley Knights: 3w @ 3.4rpo | 4w @ 3rpo

  • Caitlin Gurrey: 45 runs | 99 runs @ 101sr

  • Jess Watkin: 50 runs | 3w @ 2.4rpo

Best Performers This Season

  • Caitlin Gurrey: 310 runs @ 51.6avg/80sr

  • Holly Topp: 141 runs @ 28.2avg/69sr

  • Jess Watkin: 138 runs @ 23avg/76sr | 8w @ 20avg/3.4rpo

  • Nensi Patel: 109 runs @ 21.8avg/82sr | 10w @ 17.5av/3.9rpo

  • Kayley Knight: 13w @ 11.6avg/3.6rpo

Notebook

Some of the best LA career stats in Aotearoa...

  • Caitlin Gurrey: 37.6ag/73sr

  • Jess Watkin: 26avg/84sr | 26avg/4rpo

  • Kayley Knight: 19.6avg/5.1rpo

Gurrey's scores this season: 17, 24, 71, 54, 45, 99. She is second for runs in HBJ Shield and is tied for the most 50+ scores this season with three.

Knight has a wicket in six consecutive innings after none in her first game of the season. She is fourth for wickets this season and has the second lowest average for the leading wicket-takers.

Holly Topp wasn't selected in the North vs South series but she is one of the best emerging wicket-keeper batters in Aotearoa. Her LA average is now 16.9 after scores of 32, 20, 4, 51 and 34 so far this season.

Central Districts

Two losses vs Otago | 3-3 | 4th | 13 points

Best Performers vs Otago

  • Emma McLeod: 62 runs | 72 runs

  • Elizabeth Cohr: 2w @ 4.7rpo | 4w @ 8.5rpo

  • Ashtuti Kumar: 46 runs | 1w @ 4rpo | 1w @ 4.8rpo

Best Performers This Season

  • Emma McLeod: 342 runs @ 68.4avg/81sr

  • Kerry Tomlinson: 169 runs @ 28.1avg/78sr

  • Elizabeth Cohr: 14w @ 10.6avg/5.1rpo

  • Rosemary Mair: 7w @ 15.4avg/3.6rpo

  • Ashtuti Kumar: 79 runs @ 15.8avg/59sr | 7w @ 34avg/4.6rpo

Notebook

McLeod's scores this season: 0, 39, 30, 139*, 62, 72. She is 19-years-old with a LA batting average of 31.3 and is the leading run-scorer, tied with Gurrey for the most 50+ scores.

Cohr has 4w in three of her four LA games and 2w in the other game. In her first season of HBJ Shield she is tied for the most wickets and she has the lowest average of the leading wicket-takers.

Kumar is having her best HBJ Shield season since her debut in 2019/20. She already has the most wickets of her seven seasons and is on track for the most runs as well.

All CD bowlers are conceding over 3.5rpo and they have two batters with 150+ runs after six games.

Wellington

Two wins vs Canterbury | 4-2 | 2nd | 19 points

Best Performers vs Canterbury

  • Jess Kerr: 3w @ 2rpo | 57 runs | 7w @ 2.1rpo | 41 runs

  • Xara Jetly: 1w @ 5.1rpo | 39 runs | 2w @ 2.8rpo | 24 runs

Best Performers This Season

  • Jess Kerr: 166 runs @ 33.2avg/82sr | 14w @ 12avg/3.1rpo

  • Xara Jetly: 164 runs @ 41avg/52sr | 14w @ 16.2avg/4.4rpo

  • Rebecca Burns: 126 runs @ 31.5avg/80sr

  • Jess Simmons: 8w @ 20.7avg/4.7rpo

Notebook

Kerr's dominant HBJ Shield mahi in last two seasons...

  • 2024/25: 305 runs @ 33.8avg/80sr | 16w @ 20.3avg/3.4rpo

  • 2025/26: 166 runs @ 33.2avg/82sr | 14w @ 12avg/3.1rpo

Kerr has a 50+ score in three consecutive LA seasons. Her LA batting average is approaching 20 (19.6) and her bowling average is approaching 20 (22.9).

Jetly is having her best batting season - her first season with 100+ runs and 20+ average. While she doesn't have a 50+ score this season, Jetly has scores of 38*, 3, 41, 19*, 39 and 24.

She has been awesome with the ball for five consecutive seasons now...

  • 2021/22: 9w @ 16.1avg

  • 2022/23: 11w @ 20avg

  • 2023/24: 17w @ 19.4avg

  • 2024/25: 13w @ 15.5avg

  • 2025/26: 14w @ 16.2avg

Canterbury

Two losses vs Wellington | 1-5 | 6th | 5 points

Best Performers vs Wellington

  • Izzy Sharp: 25 runs | 67 runs

  • Missy Banks: 3w @ 4rpo | 1w @ 4.3rpo

  • Lea Tahuhu: 2w @ 3.1rpo

  • Gabby Sullivan: 2w @ 3.3rpo

  • Sarah Asmussen: 2w @ 2.7rpo

Best Performers This Season

  • Kate Anderson: 280 runs @ 56avg/91sr

  • Izzy Sharp: 195 runs @ 32.5avg/87sr

  • Missy Banks: 67 runs @ 13.4avg/54sr | 11w @ 18.1avg/4rpo

  • Gabby Sullivan: 9w @ 18.avg/3.6rpo

Notebook

Anderson has scored 20+ runs once in her last five innings.

Sharp's scores this season: 8 39, 18, 39, 25, 67.

Sharp and Anderson are the only Canterbury batters with a 50+ score this season. There are seven Canterbury players who have had at least four batting innings and are averaging below 15.

Banks has a wicket in six consecutive games and now has 10+ wickets in back to back seasons. She took less than 10w in her first eight seasons before 12w @ 34.4avg last season and then her 11w @ 18avg this season.

Otago

Two wins vs Central Districts | 2-4 | 5th | 10 points

Best Performers vs Central Districts

  • Felicity Robertson: 4w @ 4.5rpo | 12 runs | 123 runs

  • Emma Black: 2w @ 3.2rpo | 2w @ 2.6rpo

  • Chloe Deerness: 2w @ 3.8rpo | 3w @ 6.2rpo

  • Bella James: 59 runs @ 116sr

  • Polly Inglis: 55* @ 102sr

  • Saffron Wilson: 74 runs

Best Performers This Season

  • Saffron Wilson: 216 runs @ 36avg/75sr

  • Polly Inglis: 184 runs @ 36.8avg/88sr

  • Felicity Robertson: 172 runs @ 28.6avg/86sr | 3w @ 22avg/4.6rpo

  • Emma Black: 12w @ 15.4avg/3.3rpo

  • Chloe Deerness: 7w @ 18avg/4.6rpo

Notebook

Wilson's last three LA seasons...

  • 2023/24: 183 runs @ 20avg

  • 2024/25: 78 runs @ 13avg

  • 2025/26: 216 runs @ 36avg

Wilson has scored 10+ runs in all six innings this season and is fourth for HBJ Shield runs.

Black has taken 10+ wickets with averages below 16 in three of her last five LA seasons. She is fifth for wickets in HBJ Shield.

Inglis has scored 100+ runs with averages over 30 in three consecutive LA seasons.

James' scores this season: 13, 7, 27, 59, 8.

Robertson's last three LA seasons...

  • 2023/24: 310 runs @ 44.2avg

  • 2024/25: 398 runs @ 44.2avg

  • 2025/26: 172 runs @ 28.6avg

20-year-old seamer Deerness has taken 2+ wickets in three consecutive games.

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Peace and love.