Northern Districts women's cricket team
The Northern Districts women's cricket team, previously known as Northern Spirit, is the women's representative cricket team of the Northern Districts Cricket Association, based in the northern half of New Zealand's North Island. They play their home games at Seddon Park, Hamilton. They compete in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield one-day competition and also the Women's Super Smash Twenty20 competition, where they are known as the Northern Brave. History. Northern Districts joined the New Zealand women's domestic structure in 1999–00, finishing bottom of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield in their  first year of competing. Northern Districts have consistently been one of the poorest performers in both the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield and the Twenty20 Super Smash, which began in 2007–08, and are the only current side to have not won a trophy. Northern Districts' best finish in the Super Smash came in its inaugural season, when they finished 3rd with 3 wins. In 2019–20, they reached the final of the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, but lost by 67 runs to Auckland, despite batter Felicity Leydon-Davis scoring 124. Northern Districts' Caitlin Gurrey was the leading run-scorer across the whole tournament, with  576 runs. In 2020–21, the side finished 4th in both competitions, with 5 wins in the Shield and 3 in the Super Smash. On 9 October 2021, it was announced that the Northern Districts Cricket Association were combining the brands of the men's and women's teams for the Super Smash, with both teams becoming known as Northern Brave. Grounds. Northern Districts' first match was played at St Paul's Collegiate Ground. Their primary ground soon became Westpac Trust Park, Hamilton, as well as using Wintech Park in the same city. From 2005, Northern Districts began using Blake Park , Mount Maunganui (later Bay Oval) as their main home ground, as well as later using Cobham Oval, Whangarei and returning to Westpac Trust Park, now renamed Seddon Park. The side has also occasionally used St Peter's School, Cambridge, as well as returning to St Paul's Collegiate Ground. In 2021–22, they played the majority of their home games at Seddon Park, as well as two matches at Bay Oval and one at Cobham Oval. Players. Current squad. Based on squad for the 2021–22 season. Players in bold have international caps. Notable players. Players who have played for Northern Districts  and played internationally are listed below, in order of first international appearance (given in brackets): Olympian Emma Twigg has also represented the team, fielding as the twelfth man in Northern Districts' final match of the 2021–22 Super Smash.