The Wellington Firebirds have got their Super Smash title defence back on track with a five-wicket victory over the Otago Volts in Queenstown.
The Firebirds bowlers had been on top of the Volts batsmen early, reducing the hosts to 77-5 after 10 overs.
A 75-run partnership between Anaru Kitchen and Michael Rippon helped the Volts through to 166-7 from their 20 overs.
In response, the Firebirds got off to a flyer thanks to opening batters Finn Allen and Tim Robinson.
Allen has been in poor form this campaign but found his feet on Tuesday, scoring a rapid 32 off just 13 balls.
Robinson meanwhile anchored the innings with a clinical 65 off 49 balls.
But the game hung in the balance when he fell late in the 18th over with 25 runs still required.
Enter Nathan Smith.
The North Otago allrounder took apart the bowling from his former team, plundering four sixes, including two off Jacob Duffy to win the game in the final over.
The result sees the Firebirds climb to fourth, while the Volts have slid to last place, having won just one of their six games.
Earlier in the double header, the Wellington Blaze crushed the Otago Sparks in a highly-anticipated contest between two unbeaten teams.
Amelia Kerr led the way with the bat once again, scoring her fourth fifty in five games with a masterful 53.
That helped the Blaze post a formidable total of 157 from their 20 overs, and Kerr was at the fore again during the Sparks' chase, dismissing Suzie Bates hit wicket.
Jess Kerr (2-16 off three) had struck early before her sister snapped the 55-run second-wicket partnership between Bates (24) and Katey Martin, who went on to the top score of 40 off 34 balls.
The wickets kept tumbling and soon the Sparks were cleaned up for just 91.
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