With Super Smash just around the corner, the Central Stags and Hinds are both in cracking form at the right end of the tables in the Plunket Shield and Hallyburton Johnstone Shield.

This Saturday sees both the Stags and Hinds head into their last rounds of those national competitions (four-day first-class cricket for the men, one-day doubleheaders for the women) with big wins under the belt and players chalking up exciting milestones.

The Stags are second in Plunket Shield, 10 points behind the Auckland Aces who are the only side to have beaten them, in the first round. 

The Stags have since made that match look like an abberation after two consecutive outrights — with an outstanding chase at the Cello Basin Reserve followed by a trouncing of strong Canterbury in Napier.

Highlights included Ajaz Patel’s 400th first-class wicket and wicketkeeper captain Dane Cleaver’s 300th dismissal, with Cleaver taking nine catches for the match.

Said Patel, “Although I don’t necessarily like to pay too much attention to stats, it was a special milestone that has helped me reflect on the journey that I've been on, and the career that I've had, and for it to come together to get to that 400 mark is pretty special. 

“It was quite an exciting wicket to really play on in Napier, that had some turn early on. 

“It offered different challenges at different stages of the game and for a spinner going into the last day, it's always exciting in a four-dayer because when you're bowling last, you know you have a big role to play. And with some turn on it, that is quite exciting for New Zealand.”

Allrounder Josh Clarkson meanwhile continued his outstanding impact with the ball this season.

Already the top wicket-taker halfway through the one-day Ford Trophy, he is also now the top pace bowler in the Plunket Shield, and took his new first-class career best 4/33 to help roll Canterbury in the first innings.

Finding a touch more pace this season, his effective bowling also produced a cataclysmic runout of dangerman Henry Nicholls in that innings.

Tyler Annand congratulates Heaphy on his latest ton

PHOTOSPORT

Curtis Heaphy is another in hot form, the 22-year-old with all the shots having now scored three centuries in his last three first-class matches — his career best 190 for New Zealand A in South Africa in September; his 132 in the incredible last-day chase at the Basin; and a first-inning 119 in the latest victory in Napier.

He’s averaging 68.25 this season yet he’s not even the top runscorer in the Stags’ side: that honour belongs to Brad Schmulian, with 383 runs at 76.60.

Schmulian is second nationally only to Northern’s Henry Cooper, and added a knock of 93 in the latest match to the previous round’s unbeaten 167*.

Brad Schmulian annoys bowlers | PHOTOSPORT

Patel says Heaphy is “a star in the making. Very talented. 

“It certainly wasn't easy to bat out there on McLean Park, and the opposition scores reflect that but the way Curtis went about his work and the way that he trusted his ability, his game plan, was quite phenomenal. 

“He's in some good nick so hopefully he can continue that.”

“Now it’s about carrying that momentum forward and hopefully chalk up another win in this condensed competition, then we will we go into the back half (in late February) really looking strong. 

Heaphy and Taylor Bettelheim who has two half centuries from his two games

PHOTOSPORT

“It was a great win. The boys played absolutely fantastically, everyone chipping in and getting the job done, even with a few players away on BLACKCAPS duties or injured.

“It’s really nice to see the depth of the squad being used, and guys actually stepping up to the mark as well.”

Having despatched Canterbury by 295 runs, the Stags now head to Dunedin for the last red-ball game this side of Christmas — a big game with Otago having performed better than usual so far this summer. 

Super Smash starts on 27 December in Palmerston North, and it’s likely many of the Stags will be involved in CD’s Chapple Cup at the same place before then.

The Chapple Cup (19-21 December) will be played entirely in the T20 format this year, the eight CD Districts to compete in two pools and providing an ideal warm-up. A number of the Hinds will meanwhile be playing in the three North v South T20s in Nelson.

The Hinds have also got well acquainted with Fitzherbert Park in the lead-up to Super Smash, returning this weekend for rounds five and six of the 10-round Hallyburton Johnstone Shield.

The Central women are in the top three in the trophy hunt, just one point behind leader the Auckland Hearts (whom they are yet to play), and hosting the under pressure Otago Sparks this weekend.

The Sparks are the defending champion, having won this title three times in last four years, but are yet to get a win this season and remain without injured stars Suzie Bates and Eden Carson.

Domestic captaincy debut in store this weekend

PHOTOSPORT

But the Hinds will also need to make do this weekend as both of their frontline WHITE FERNS, captain Hannah Rowe and Rosemary Mair, sit out the weekend with side niggles.

Vice-captain Flora Devonshire will take over the reins from Rowe and make her Domestic captaincy debut, having also captained the team in the preseason T20 tournament in Taupō while Rowe was away at the World Cup. 

PHOTOSPORT

The Hinds will be looking for consistency across the weekend after having split the winnings with Wellington Blaze at the same ground a fortnight ago.

The Blaze took home the Viv Stephens Trophy on the Saturday, but on Sunday, round four, the Hinds bounced back big-time with a consummate display in all departments of the game.

Young gun Emma McLeod produced a head-turning maiden century that saw her bat through the entire 50 overs for an energetic, unbeaten 139*.

It was just the second century nationally in this season’s comp, joining Kate Anderson’s big effort for Canterbury in the opening match at Pukekura Park.

Spinner Lizzy Cohr, herself only 23, meanwhile has turned in two match-winning hauls from just two games in her Hinds career to date.

Seizing her opportunities (which came at the expense of concussed leg-spinner Ocean Bartlett), she’s taken 4/35 against the Magicians in New Plymouth and a brilliant 4/13 against the Blaze in Palmerston North.

Unsurprisingly, Cohr is back in the squad for this weekend’s free admission doubleheader as the second-highest wicket-taker in the comp, behind only Blaze spinner Xara Jetly. She has the leanest bowling average, a mere 6.00. 

Taranaki’s Grace Foreman and Manawatū’s Abby Treder come into the Hinds squad for the injured Rowe and Mair, with teen Treder called up for this format for the first time, after having made her T20 debut earlier this year.

Foreman, 20, comes in for the first time this season, after having debuted in a single appearance last summer in Dunedin, against the same team.

The Stags have also changed their 12 for the Dunedin match, bringing in Angus Schaw for fellow spinner Jayden Lennox, and big young Whanganui allrounder Oscar Mabin remaining a chance of a debut, after having been 12th man in rounds one and three. 

Free livestreams and livescoring for all matches are found at www.cdcricket.co.nz, and Super Smash tickets for Palmy, Nelson and Napier are on sale now at the same site.

2025/26 PLUNKET SHIELD

ROUND FOUR

Otago v Central Stags

10.30am | Saturday 13-Tuesday 16 December 2025

University of Otago Oval • Dunedin

DANE Cleaver - captain, wicketkeeper, Manawatū

TYLER Annand - Hawke's Bay

TAYLOR Bettelheim - Hawke's Bay

WILL Clark - Hawke's Bay

JOSH Clarkson - Nelson

DEAN Foxcroft - Hawke’s Bay

CURTIS Heaphy - Manawatū

OSCAR Mabin - Whanganui (uncapped)

AJAZ Patel - Hawke's Bay

ANGUS Schaw - Hawke's Bay

BRAD Schmulian - Hawke's Bay

RAY Toole - Manawatū  

Head Coach: GREG Hay

Assistant Coach: ALDIN Smith 

Contracted players unavailable for selection

Injured or return to play protocol:

Doug Bracewell, Joey Field, Brett Randell, Toby Findlay

BLACKCAPS Test squad: Blair Tickner, Will Young

2025/26 HALLYBURTON JOHNSTONE SHIELD

ROUNDS FIVE + SIX

Central Hinds v Otago Sparks

10.30am | Saturday 13 + Sunday 14 December 2025

Fitzherbert Park | Palmerston North

FREE ADMISSION 

FLORA Devonshire - captain, Hawke's Bay

GEORGIA Atkinson - Wairarapa

LIZZY Cohr - Wairarapa

GRACE Foreman - Taranaki

KATE Gaging - wicketkeeper, Nelson

CLAUDIA Green - Nelson

ASHTUTI Kumar - Manawatū

EMMA McLeod - Wairarapa

JESS Ogden - Manawatū

CATE Pedersen - Hawke's Bay

KERRY Tomlinson - Taranaki

ABBY Treder - Manawatū (uncapped)

Contracted players unavailable for selection

Injured: Hannah Rowe, Rosemary Mair, Ocean Bartlett

POINTS SNAPSHOT

Plunket Shield after 3/8 rounds:

• maximum 20 points per team per round

47 Auckland Aces

37 Central Stags

32 Otago

28 Canterbury

28 Northern Districts

14 Wellington Firebirds

Hallyburton Johnstone Shield after 4/10 rounds:

• maximum 5 points per team per round

14 Auckland Hearts

13 Northern Districts

13 Central Hinds 

 9 Wellington Blaze 

 5 Canterbury Magicians 

 0 Otago Sparks

GET TICKETS HERE

Article added: Friday 12 December 2025