The 2025–26 Hallyburton Johnstone Shield delivered one of the most competitive domestic women’s cricket seasons New Zealand has produced in recent memory.
Six franchises competed across a full round-robin schedule that consistently produced close results, high individual performances, and matches where momentum shifted across both innings.
Individual contributions defined the tournament from the first match to the final.
In domestic cricket, consistent performers across multiple games separate title contenders from mid-table sides — and this season provided clear statistical evidence of who delivered under sustained pressure.
Analyzing the top performers of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield 2025-26 reveals a tournament shaped by batting depth, disciplined economy bowling, and the kind of match-turning individual spells that determine knockout outcomes at the highest level of New Zealand women’s cricket.
Top Performers of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield 2025-26
Top Performers of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield 2025-26
| Team | Matches | Wins | Points | Net Run Rate | League Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Brave | 10 | 8 | 39 | +1.623 | 1st (Champions) |
| Wellington Blaze | 10 | 6 | 29 | -0.265 | 2nd (Runners-Up) |
| Auckland Hearts | 10 | 5 | 25 | -0.462 | 3rd (Semi-Final) |
| Central Hinds | 10 | 4 | 20 | -0.437 | 4th |
| Canterbury Magicians | 10 | 3 | 15 | -0.015 | 5th |
| Otago Sparks | 10 | 2 | 10 | -0.820 | 6th |
Otago Sparks
Tournament Struggles
- Otago Sparks endured the most difficult campaign of the 2025–26 season, finishing bottom of the table with just 2 wins from 10 matches.
- Their 10 points and a net run rate of -0.820 reflected an inability to defend totals consistently or generate enough runs to pressure opponents across the group stage.
- Their season highlighted the gap between their squad depth and the teams occupying the top half of the table.
Batting Highlight
- Felicity Leydon-David provided the clearest individual bright spot in an otherwise challenging campaign, finishing as the fourth-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 350 runs from 10 innings at a strike rate of 73 and an average of 35.
- Her standout innings came against Central Hinds — a sensational 123 off 132 balls that demonstrated her capacity to build and accelerate a major innings even when her team’s overall batting unit was underperforming around her.
Bowling Strength
- Emma Black delivered the most dominant bowling performance of the entire tournament, taking 21 wickets from 10 innings at an economy rate of 3.46 — the highest wicket tally in the competition by any bowler.
- Her best figures of 4/21 against Wellington Blaze exemplified her ability to maintain exceptional economy while generating wicket-taking pressure simultaneously. Black’s performance was the primary reason Otago remained competitive in matches they ultimately could not win.
Canterbury Magicians
Season Overview
- Canterbury Magicians finished fifth on the table under Kate Anderson’s captaincy, securing 3 wins from 10 matches and 15 points.
- Their net run rate of -0.015 — the closest to neutral of any team outside the top three — suggests they were consistently close in matches they lost, making their season one of missed opportunities rather than outright underperformance.
- Converting tight contests into victories would have significantly altered their final standing.
- Tracking the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield Women 2024 record against this campaign shows Canterbury’s continued struggle to cross from competitive to consistent.
Run-Scoring Dominance
- Kate Anderson was the standout batter of the entire tournament, finishing as the highest run-scorer across all six teams with 560 runs from 10 innings at a strike rate of 86 and an average of 70.
- Her record individual knock of 171 off 153 balls against Central Hinds — the highest score in this season’s competition — demonstrated the extraordinary gap between her ceiling and the rest of the tournament’s batting field.
- Anderson delivered consistently across the season, not just in that headline innings.
Bowling Contributions
- Sarah Asmussen was Canterbury’s primary wicket-taking option, finishing with 19 wickets from 10 innings at an economy of 4.87 — the third-highest wicket tally in the tournament.
- Her best figures of 4/48 came in a high-pressure match against Northern Brave, demonstrating her ability to perform against the strongest batting lineups in the competition.
- Her consistent wicket contribution gave Canterbury attacking options that their batting unit did not always capitalize on.
Central Hinds
Balanced Campaign
- Central Hinds produced a mixed but ultimately fourth-place finish under Hannah Rowe, winning 4 from 10 matches with one washout contributing 2 points.
- Their 20 points and net run rate of -0.437 reflect a team that won their winnable matches but could not compete with the power and depth of the top three sides.
- Their campaign demonstrated genuine competitive intent without the bowling depth or batting consistency to challenge for a playoff position.
Top Order Reliability
- Emma McLeod was Central Hinds’ batting anchor across the season, finishing as the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 474 runs from 9 innings at a strike rate of 82 and an average of 59.25.
- Her best performance — an unbeaten 139 off 145 balls against Wellington Blaze — was the second-highest individual innings of the tournament and came in a match where she single-handedly constructed a competitive total.
- Her consistency across innings was Central Hinds’ primary batting asset throughout the group stage.
Bowling Efficiency EJ Kohr was Central Hinds’ most impactful bowler despite playing only 7 innings, taking 14 wickets at an economy of 6.00. Her best figures of 4 wickets against Wellington Blaze produced a match-turning spell that reversed the momentum of a game Central Hinds had appeared to be losing. Her wicket-taking rate in the matches she was available for confirmed her as a high-quality performer whose contribution was limited only by availability across the full tournament schedule.
Auckland Hearts
Semi-Final Qualification
- Auckland Hearts earned their semi-final place under Maddy Green’s leadership with 5 wins from 10 matches, finishing third with 25 points despite a net run rate of -0.462.
- Their qualification was built on steady, consistent performances through the group stage rather than dominant victories — they won the matches their squad depth required them to win and qualified on the strength of that reliability.
- The Hallyburton Johnstone Shield live score across their matches consistently showed closely contested encounters that went their way at critical moments.
Batting Leadership
- Maddy Green led by example with the highest run total for the Hearts — 334 runs from 10 innings at a strike rate of 75 and an average of 41.75.
- Her best performance, a 109 off 98 balls against Central Hinds, was the fifth-highest individual score of the tournament and the only century produced by a Hearts batter across the season.
- Her ability to anchor partnerships while maintaining a competitive strike rate made her the most reliable batting presence in Auckland’s lineup throughout the group stage.
Match-Winning Bowling Spell
- Josie Penfold produced the second-best bowling figures of the entire tournament with 6/30 against Wellington Blaze — a spell that stands as one of the most dominant individual bowling performances of the 2025–26 season.
- Her 15 wickets from 10 innings at an economy of 4 confirmed her as Auckland’s primary wicket-taking option in the group stage, and her best spell came against the team that ultimately reached the final, which underlines the quality of opposition she was able to dismantle.
Wellington Blaze
Runner-Up Finish
- Wellington Blaze enjoyed their most successful Hallyburton Johnstone Shield Women 2025 campaign, finishing second under Georgia Plimmer’s captaincy with 6 wins from 10 matches and 29 points.
- They lost one match through abandonment and reached the final before falling to Northern Brave.
- Their net run rate of -0.265 masked a team that was highly competitive in knockout cricket even if their aggregate run differential across the group stage was slightly negative.
All-Round Excellence
- Jess Kerr was the defining performer of Wellington Blaze’s campaign — the only player in the tournament to finish among the top ten in both batting and bowling.
- She contributed 274 runs from 11 innings at a strike rate of 86 while simultaneously taking 19 wickets from 11 innings at an economy of 3.35.
- This dual contribution across every phase of the competition made her the most impactful all-round player of the season and the primary reason Wellington reached the final.
Tournament-Defining Spell
- Jess Kerr also produced the single best bowling performance of the entire tournament — 7/18 from 8.3 overs against Canterbury Magicians.
- That figure stands as the best bowling figures of the 2025–26 season by a significant margin and represents one of the most complete individual bowling spells in Hallyburton Johnstone Shield history.
- At an economy of just 2.11 across those overs, it was a performance that combined wicket-taking aggression with total bowling control in equal measure.
Northern Brave
Title-Winning Campaign
- Northern Brave were the tournament’s dominant force from the first round to the final, winning 8 from 10 matches under Jess Watkin’s captaincy and finishing first with 39 points and a net run rate of +1.623 — the only positive net run rate in the competition by a significant margin.
- Their 67-run victory over Wellington Blaze in the final completed a maiden title in the tournament’s history and confirmed a campaign that was as dominant in margin of victory as it was in match wins.
- Fans following the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield today match coverage consistently saw Northern Brave performing at a level above their competition.
Batting Backbone
- Caitlin Gurrey was the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 491 runs from 11 innings at a strike rate of 81 and an average of 44.63.
- Her best score of 99 off 98 balls against Auckland Hearts — narrowly missing a century — was an innings that encapsulated her entire tournament: consistent, technically correct, and delivered in a match with playoff implications.
- Her presence at the top of Northern Brave’s batting order provided the stability that allowed their aggressive bowling attack to apply maximum pressure in the second half of every match.
Captain’s Bowling Impact
- Jess Watkin led the bowling attack with 18 wickets from 10 innings at an economy of 3.49 — the fifth-highest wicket total in the tournament and the best figures by any captain-bowler in the competition.
- Her best bowling figures of 3/24 against Auckland Hearts, while not the most spectacular single-match return, reflected the disciplined consistency she maintained across every appearance.
- Her economy rate of 3.49 meant she conceded fewer than four runs per over across a full tournament season — a standard that gave Northern Brave’s fielding unit the confidence to defend any total posted.
Most Runs
| Player | Team | Runs | Innings | Strike Rate | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kate Anderson | Canterbury Magicians | 560 | 10 | 86.15 | 70.00 |
| Caitlin Gurrey | Northern Brave | 491 | 11 | 81.83 | 44.63 |
| Emma McLeod | Central Hinds | 474 | 9 | 82.43 | 59.25 |
| Felicity Leydon-David | Otago Sparks | 350 | 10 | 73.83 | 35.00 |
| Maddy Green | Auckland Hearts | 334 | 10 | 75.22 | 41.75 |
Most Wickets
| Player | Team | Wickets | Innings | Average | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emma Black | Otago Sparks | 21 | 10 | 15.66 | 3.46 |
| Jess Kerr | Wellington Blaze | 19 | 11 | 16.78 | 3.35 |
| Sarah Asmussen | Canterbury Magicians | 19 | 10 | 20.26 | 4.87 |
| Xara Jetly | Wellington Blaze | 19 | 11 | 21.26 | 4.34 |
| Jess Watkin | Northern Brave | 18 | 10 | 15.94 | 3.49 |
Highest Individual Scores
| Player | Team | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kate Anderson | Canterbury Magicians | 171* | 153 | 111.76 | Central Hinds |
| Emma McLeod | Central Hinds | 139* | 145 | 95.86 | Wellington Blaze |
| Amelia Kerr | Wellington Blaze | 128 | 122 | 104.91 | Auckland Hearts |
| Felicity Leydon-David | Otago Sparks | 123 | 132 | 93.18 | Central Hinds |
| Maddy Green | Auckland Hearts | 109 | 98 | 111.22 | Central Hinds |
Best Bowling Figures
| Player | Team | Overs | Wickets | Economy | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jess Kerr | Wellington Blaze | 8.3 | 7 | 2.11 | Canterbury Magicians |
| Josie Penfold | Auckland Hearts | 7 | 6 | 4.28 | Wellington Blaze |
| Xara Jetly | Wellington Blaze | 10 | 6 | 3.90 | Central Hinds |
| EJ Kohr | Central Hinds | 4 | 4 | 3.25 | Wellington Blaze |
| Lucy Boucher | Northern Brave | 10 | 4 | 2.10 | Wellington Blaze |
Conclusion:
Reviewing the top performers of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield 2025-26 confirms a season defined by standout individual contributions within a broader context of genuine competitive depth across all six franchises.
The reference point for future editions is now set — and the players who shaped this tournament have raised the standard for what the competition demands.
Fans who tracked Hallyburton Johnstone Shield live score 2025 results throughout the group stage and knockouts, witnessed a season that delivered on every promise of competitive domestic women’s cricket.
- Tournament Quality: Six franchises competed with genuine intent across every round. The spread from Northern Brave’s +1.623 net run rate to Otago Sparks’ -0.820 captures a tournament where quality separation was real but competitive matches were consistently produced across the table.
- Batting Trends: Kate Anderson’s 560 runs and Emma McLeod’s unbeaten 139 confirm that conversion — turning starts into major scores — separated the leading batters from the rest. Consistency across innings, not one-off explosions, defined the top five run-scorers.
- Bowling Impact: Emma Black’s 21 wickets and Jess Kerr’s 7/18 represent the two extremes of bowling excellence this season — sustained volume wicket-taking versus single-match destruction. Both approaches proved decisive in their respective team contexts.
- Future Outlook: The Hallyburton Johnstone Shield 2023 and Hallyburton Johnstone Shield 2024 editions established a growing competitive baseline that this season surpassed. The emerging talent identified in this campaign — particularly in the bowling department — will define how New Zealand women’s domestic cricket develops across future editions.
