WOMEN'S ONE DAY FINAL: Hard lesson for Blaze as CD win | Hawkes Bay Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Hawkes Bay

A lot of things may have been under water yesterday but for Central Districts Hinds captain Aimee Watkins it was hard to dunk one particular thing - they had notched a double victory.

Watkins suspected it had something to do with spending most of the day cooped up in their motel rooms waiting for a clearance from the umpires on whether play would progress in the one-day final between CD and the hapless Wellington Blaze at Nelson Park, Napier, after Saturday's eight-wicket victory in the Twenty20 competition.

"A win's a win and I think all the hard work we've put in through the season has paid off," Watkins said after the match was abandoned without a ball bowled and CD declared winners as top qualifiers.

"If there were any weather issues, which you don't have in Napier, it was going to be to our advantage," the New Zealand cricket captain said with a grin.

"We deserve it because we were the top team at the end of the round robin," she said after CD registered six wins in the season to the Blazes' five, including beating them a fortnight ago in the capital city on another rained-out weekend.

"We were pretty confident coming on to this weekend and to finish up with two trophies is pretty awesome. We're stoked and we'll just kind of let it sink in now."

The 27-year-old was relishing the thought of dealing with the pressure of defending two titles but she wanted to savour this season's achievements before winter training for the 2010-11 season.

CD Cricket yesterday awarded Watkins a silver tray for her 100 games, achieved against Otago Sparks in round four in Masterton last month.

Watkins will decide on her playing future after the White Ferns' England tour.

Hinds coach Doug Bracewell accepted the rules of the competition that top qualifiers should claim the title in the advent of rain but said it wasn't quite the same as winning.

After his first season with the Hinds, Bracewell said he would have to take stock of player availability next season.

"I think it's a great boost for women's cricket in CD and, hopefully, this may be helpful in building a good CD development programme."

CD had only won the 50-over title once before, in 2005-06 under coach Lincoln Doull, of Hastings.

Player/manager Sarah Norman, of Palmerston North, yesterday indicated she had retired after helping out towards the end of the season.

While it was sad to see Sarah Norman (nee Duffill) go, Bracewell felt it was great to see her retire out on a winning note, which was a tribute for all the years she's put into CD cricket. "It couldn't have happened to a better person," Bracewell said of the ex-Napier Technical Old Boys women's team coach/player.

A disappointed Wellington coach Mark Borthwick said his women had learned a lesson.

"You've got to play and win your rubbers and look after all your games," said Borthwick, reflecting on the 2008-09 season when they were 11 points clear after pool play but lost to runners-up the Canterbury Magicians in the final.

"Twenty20 games look after themselves but your rubber games, if you can win both of them, even if you win them ugly, that always helps. It's a good lesson for our girls," he said of the women's five-round competition that includes two one-dayers and a Twenty20 in a weekend.

The Blaze, he said, had CD batsmen Sara McGlashan and Rachel Priest's measure by countering aggression with aggression but it was not to be.