New Zealand captain Emily Drumm was the difference between the two teams asher aggressive 59 steered the home side to a third straight victory over thetouring England side at Auckland with two matches left in the five-matchseries
Chris Rosie17-Feb-2000New Zealand captain Emily Drumm was the difference between the two teams asher aggressive 59 steered the home side to a third straight victory over thetouring England side at Auckland with two matches left in the five-matchseries.England won the toss and captain Clare Connor set the visitors off to a slowstart with fellow opener SC (Claire) Taylor against the tight bowling of theNew Zealand opening attack of Katrina Keenan and Rachel Pullar. They tookuntil the seventh over to get into double figures and it was not until thefirst bowling change in the 11th over, the 15-year-old Munokoa Tunupoporeplacing Keenan at the city end, that the first boundary came, a Connordrive through extra cover. drumm made it a double change with medium pacerHaidee Tiffen replacing Pullar at the scoreboard end, and immediately goingfor another Connor specialty through extra cover.However, in the 14th over, just when the England pair were looking to buildon their foundation, the grand dame of New Zealand cricket, Debbie Hockley,produced the necessary magic, scoring a direct hit from short mid-wicket atthe bowler’s end, leaving a backing-up Connor just short of her ground. Thecaptain gone for 16 with the score at 41.New arrival Charlotte Edwards punished a wild full toss from Tunupopothrough mid-wicket but otherwise Connor’s departure put a brake on thescoring. It was also helped by Catherine Campbell’s off spin replacingTunupopo, whose three overs had cost 17 runs.The 50 came up in the 18th over. However, celebrations did not last long,Taylor on 29 being given out lbw, stretching forward to Campbell with thescore at 52.Nicky Shaw did not last long, failing to beat a Tunupopo throw from squareleg. Nor did Jane Cassar, caught behind by Rebecca Rolls, standing up toCampbell, in the 21st over with the score on 58.Tight fielding and bowling, with Kathryn Ramel on for Tiffen, maintained thescoring restraint. Edwards finally gave in to frustration, tried to forcethe pace and succeeded only in guiding Ramel to first slip where Tiffen tooka smart catch. England 67 for five in the 26th over, Edwards havingcontributed nine.The new pair, Laura Newton and Kathryn Leng, set about rebuilding theinnings. However, difficulties in piercing the field kept the scoring to aminimum. drumm kept ringing the changes. She brought Keenan back for a coupleof overs at the city end before replacing her with Pullar. At the scoreboardend she tried Tunupopo, much to the pleasure of the England pair, who took11 off the youngster’s two overs before she was replaced by Campbell.The 100 came up in the 38th but just as the last 40 overs beckoned withEngland in improving shape, Pullar got one through Newton, whose departureon 24 ended a 35-run partnership with the score on 102.Leng and new arrival, Melissa Reynard, attempted to accelerate the scoringbut a pull by Leng off Pullar went straight down Tunupopo’s throat atbackward square leg. Leng gone for 18 with the score at 112 for seven.Chasing quick runs brought about Reynard’s demise, her despairing divefailing to beat substitute Helen Watson’s throw from mid-on with the scoreat 120 in the 46th over.Tiffen had replaced Campbell, whose 10 overs had cost just 25 runs, andRamel came on at the city end for an injured Keenan. But they were unable torestrict the new pairing of Dawn Holden and C.E. (Clare) Taylor. The duoproduced an unbeaten partnership of 26 off 27 balls as England fair raced to146 for 8, Taylor’s 13 coming off 14 balls.It was a total that did not look likely when England lost their fifth wicketwith the score at 67 in the 26th over.Campbell and Pullar, with the same figures of two for 25 off their 10 overs,were the best of the New Zealand bowlers. Ramel with one for 22 off eightwas the other wicket-taker while the three runouts were testimony to theteam’s fielding effort.New Zealand, in the form of Kate Pulford and Nicola Payne, started the chasefor 147 slowly and quickly found trouble against the opening pace of LucyPearson and Clare Taylor. With the score at 15, Taylor bowled Pulford, whohad looked to be middling the ball well, and Pearson had Payne superblycaught at short mid-wicket by the substitute Barbara Daniels.The new partnership of drumm and Tiffen did not last long. Another superbcatch, this time in the gully by Newton, removed Tiffen with score at 18 inthe 12th over.drumm and Rolls set about resurrecting the innings, quick singles and a fourapiece increasing the run rate. However, a double bowling change, theintroduction of left-arm spin of Holden and Connor, ended Rolls stay, havinga big heave and being bowled by Connor for five with the score at 34 in the18th over – and New Zealand in some strife.What better time for the arrival of Hockley at the crease? The experiencedpair stepped up the pace. Holden in particular suffered, Hockley sweepingfull tosses through mid-wicket and drumm square driving through extra cover.Nine came off one over, expensive in any match but particularly so in a lowscoring one and it was not surprising to see her replaced at the city end byleft-arm medium pacer Reynard midway through the innings.By the 26th over with the score at 66 New Zealand had finally caught up withthe England rate. Drumm and Hockley continued to dominate the bowling. Their50 partnership came up off 78 balls in the 31st over as drumm milked runsfrom guided shots through third man. However, Hockley’s attempt to cutthrough the same area brought about her demise, caught behind by Cassarstanding up to the medium pace of Reynard. Hockley gone in the 33rd over for22 in a partnership of 56 with the score on 90.Ramel joined Drumm, who drove through extra cover to bring up her 50 in 77balls and the team’s 100 in the 35th over. With quick singles and theoccasional blow in anger, they entered the final 10 overs needing 28 to win.But just when New Zealand looked to be doing it easily Drumm, on 59, hauledPearson behind square where a leaping Holden took a fine catch high aboveher head. It was just reward for Pearson, who was in the process ofcompleting her 10 overs for 20 runs and two wickets.Pullar joined Ramel with 27 runs required from nine overs. No nervous crawlto victory here. The pair went for lofted straight drives to cut big holesin the deficit.Connor tried first herself and then Reynard at the city end while thedependable Taylor bowled out her 10 from in front of the scoreboard, endingup with two for 29. But they could not stop the New Zealand march towardsthe target, reached in the 47th over with Ramel not out 22 and Pullar notout 13 off 16 balls.Connor, one for 20 off seven, and Reynard, 1 for 25 off 7.2, were the otherwicket-takers as England competed in all areas of the game. But they justcould not get past the Drumm factor.