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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