Central Districts Cricket Association

CENTRAL STAGS

With a reputation for playing fearless and exciting cricket, we're proud to be New Zealand's reigning national champions in both the one-day Ford Trophy and the first-class Plunket Shield!

The Central Stags have won a number of trophies in recent years. The team has lifted the Plunket Shield three times in the last six seasons, including back-to-back in 2018 and 2019. We were also the national Super Smash T20 champions in 2019!

The Stags produce a steady stream of BLACKCAPS to represent New Zealand. Retired BLACKCAPS legend ROSS TAYLOR grew up in the heart of our region in the small Wairarapa town of Masterton, and played for the Stags throughout his stellar career - our greatest all-time player.

Batter WILL YOUNG and our aggressive, wicket-hunting paceman with the beautiful action, BLAIR TICKNER are contracted BLACKCAPS, and available for the Stags when not on NZ duty. Test spinner AJAZ PATEL is meanwhile one of just three bowlers in world Test cricket history to have taken all 10 wickets in a Test innings, and he did it against India in Mumbai!

Other names you will recognise from appearances at the top level in recent years are class allrounder DOUG BRACEWELL, SETH RANCE (currently recovering from a shoulder injury), dashing batsman TOM BRUCE and our wicketkeeper-batsman DANE CLEAVER who is one of the newer faces in the BLACKCAPS group.

Follow our adventures with the official team hashtag #LOVETHESTAGS

OUR CULTURE

Founded in 1950, our team is selected from a big geographic area. The Stags and Hinds are the only Domestic teams to represent both the North and South Islands of Aotearoa New Zealand, and this means we have to overcome logistical and training challenges that other teams simply don't have to deal with.

It makes the Stags a very close-knit and committed team. We're down to earth, adaptable Kiwi lads with a sense of humour.

We're looking to enjoy what we do and to entertain people, having fun together, and playing good cricket wherever we are playing and no matter what the circumstances. And, we're always very happy to connect with young fans, whether in our region or even in the opposition territory!

Beneath the smiles and fun are hard-working, determined, competitive, super-fit cricketers searching to get the best out of their careers and talents in a high-intensity professional environment. We all want to play for the BLACKCAPS and will leave no stone unturned in the quest to represent New Zealand.

"We are the might of CD" is a line in our team song that resonates with all of us, getting it done together!

BRETT Johnson • Hawke's Bay

AJAZ Patel • Hawke's Bay *

SETH Rance • Wairarapa

BRETT Randell *

ANGUS Schaw • Hawke's Bay

BRAD Schmulian • Hawke's Bay *

BEVAN Small • Manawatū

BEN Smith • Whanganui

BLAIR Tickner • Hawke’s Bay • BLACKCAPS Contract 2023/24

RAY Toole • Manawatū *

BAYLEY Wiggins • Hawke's Bay *

WILL Young • Taranaki • BLACKCAPS Contract 2023/24

* 2023/24 CDCA contracted player

HEAD COACHES

GLENN POCKNALL • FORD TROPHY | PLUNKET SHIELD

BEN F. SMITH • DREAM11 SUPER SMASH

The Plunket Shield
Born in 1906, this revered championship comprises eight rounds of hard fought, four-day first-class cricket. The ability to win away is a key to overall success and in 2019, the Stags broke the CDCA record for most consecutive Plunket Shield matches without a defeat: 21 games without a loss. The national record is 24.

We are very fortunate to provide admission to watch these gripping, intense games at no cost to our public. The Stags won the Plunket Shield national championship back-to-back in 2018 and 2019, and again in 2023 with five outright wins from the eight rounds and a special final day in Nelson! To have won this tough competition three times in the last six seasons makes us very proud - it's the hardest competition to win

Dream11 Super Smash
Ten rounds of fast, bold, unpredictable, exciting T20 cricket!

Take in a doubleheader under lights at McLean Park or holiday season afternoon at Fitzherbert Park or Pukekura Park. Traditionally, the Stags & Hinds head to our iconic New Plymouth venue just before New Year's for back-to-back days of fun, at a venue considered one of the most beautiful cricket grounds in the world.

With our mascot The Stag in attendance, big, buzzy crowds and gourmet food trucks, it's all on. Great pricing plus free kids' activities and fun free giveaways make for a really great-value family day out - and it's a cracking show to see our best players pushing the boundaries with the big hits.

The Stags won this national trophy in 2019 to cap an impressive three years in a row in the Grand Final as one of NZ's top T20 teams. We led this competition for most of last summer too, only to just miss out on the playoffs. Boo hoo.

The Ford Trophy
First contested in 1975, New Zealand's national men’s one-day competition consists of 10 rounds of 50-over matches.

The Ford Trophy Grand Final is either streamed or televised each year and we've been regular Finalists in this format - winning the Trophy in 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2023. We hosted the Grand Final at Pukekura Park as top qualifier in both 2016 & 2018, top qualifier again in 2022 and 2023, and won the 2023 Final at McLean Park!

Many of the innovative skills developed in T20 are filtering through into one-day gameplans, making the classic white-ball format even better to watch.

All our Ford Trophy games are FREE admission for you to enjoy a summer's day out, chilling on the bank or terraces or in the stand with family and friends, coffee cart at most venues (or a café close by) to enjoy a top game of cricket on us!

OUR LEGACY

Over the years, many of New Zealand’s great players have played for the Central Stags

Men such as Harry Cave, Bevan Congdon, Brian Yuile, Gary Bartlett, Vic Pollard, Dave O'Sullivan, Martin Crowe, Jock Edwards, Ian Smith, Tony Blain, Michael Mason, Jesse Ryder, Mark Greatbatch, Jacob Oram, Jamie How, Peter Ingram, Mathew Sinclair and Ross Taylor are just a few of the many New Zealand representatives proud to have called the Stags their home team

And our very first captain, Sir Joe Ongley, was a Supreme Court judge and knight of the realm!

We treasure our team's heritage and offer a free membership programme for all our CD Alumni past players