The State Insurance Cup Final has been won by Auckland for the second successive year.

Cup final specialist Clare Nicholson hit the winning runs to win her second trophy in two months, following her memorable final-over wicket that won New Zealand the CricInfo Women's World Cup in December.

Auckland coach Wally Stamp told CricInfo, "It was a great day's cricket, a great wicket, a great outfield and two good sides. With 500 runs scored it was just unfortunate one team had to lose."

"Clare Nicholson contributed mightily for us. She hit the winning runs and had bowled the winning ball."

The 33-year-old told CricInfo, "It was nice to be there at the end. It was a once in a lifetime chance to play in the World Cup and after all the hard work it was great to do the deed and win the Cup. It was very hard for us coming back after the World Cup, which has given an opportunity for the young ones to come through. I wasn't with the team last year and I really wanted to win it."

The fine batting wicket at Christchurch's Village Green, which has had nine first-class centuries scored on it this season, almost had another one today. Nicholson said, "all credit to the groundsman, it makes it hard when you're a bowler, but bowlers have got to tighten up on good tracks or they get punished." The off spinner took 1-57 from her ten overs, after having an economy rate of 2.63 in the ten rounds of the competition before the final.

Shelly Fruin's "exceedingly good" 97 eclipsed the 95 from Canterbury's Nicola Payne and saw the away team to a five wicket win in their third appearance in the three State Insurance Cup finals so far.

She survived dropped chances on 32 and 46, to fall just short of a ton, holing out with the score at 243/4 and eight overs left to get the remaining 21 runs required.

Ironically it was Payne, the Toronto-born ex-Netherlands international who snared Fruin, tossing one up to invite the boundary that would have brought a headline grabbing hundred.

While the men's one-dayers have been criticised by New Zealand Cricket Operations Manager John Reid for low scoring, which in his view is detrimental to the national team game, the State Auckland Hearts had to make a record score to beat Canterbury's 263/9 off 50 overs. They did it with five wickets, and 21 balls, to spare.

Reid told CricInfo that while the men's and women's games were not easily comparable, "the increase in run rates has been positive and women's cricket is being played as an entertainment. Scores of 250-260 are becoming not unusual in the women's game, which is good. In New Zealand the women's game is in a pretty healthy state. The philosophy of aggression and positivity are now flying through at this level."

Heroic White Fern Nicholson took last year off with a serious shoulder injury to her non-bowling arm, and is rejuvenated after the rest, but may retire now she has won her first State Insurance Cup final, "I'll have a break over the winter and see how the body feels at the end of it." She has three screws in her left shoulder and was in so much pain she had to give up all cricket from June 1999 to May 2000. She has a rigorous exercise regime to combat further deterioration. But she concluded, "I'm feeling really good at the moment. I can hold the trophy up!"

Nicholson commented that "there are lots of young ones coming through, which is pretty positive." As an 'old one' she can rest assured that she has done her bit to popularise women's cricket in New Zealand at a time when the men's game is at a low ebb.

© CricInfo