A special moment looms for Tom Bruce who is about to become just the second Central Stag to reach 100 T20 caps for his team - if Waikato's weather plays ball.

UPDATE: a washout prevented play in Hamilton, and Bruce received his 100th cap in the follwing game, in Napier.

If the rain stays away on Tuesday evening at Seddon Park, the consummate captain will join wicketkeeper Dane Cleaver in the elite 100 club — Cleaver having received his 100th cap in Guyana six months ago, in the Guyana Global Super League where the Stags were competing as New Zealand’s Super Smash champions.

Bruce becomes the second Central player overall this season to register the milestone, Central Hinds captain Hannah Rowe having meanwhile become the first for the women’s team, in Alexandra earlier in the competition.

All images: PHOTOSPORT

Bruce (2,687 runs) and Cleaver (2,386) are also the Stags’ top two all-time T20 runscorers and their experience and tactical intelligence lies behind many a Stags’ victory.

While Bruce will play his milestone match away from home, the setting will not be without personal signficance to the 34-year-old former BLACKCAP and now Scotland representative.

It’s where the Stags lifted the Super Smash trophy under his leadership in 2019, with the Taranaki icon the only Stags captain to have led the team to two T20 national titles.

He will skipper a squad that has one change from last Friday’s classy 10-run win over the front-running Auckland Aces in Napier, allrounder Will Clark returning in place of left-handed opener Mason Hughes.

 

With two wins in their last three games — stars Bruce and Blair Tickner having both returned for the team in that period, the Stags have rebounded nicely from a tough leg on tour in the South Island, and will be eager to avenge their six-wicket loss to the Brave in Napier.

The Stags currently sit in fifth, but are only four points adrift of the third-placed Kings — with three matches to go, and a chance to play and peg back three of the four teams ahead of them: the Brave tomorrow; the Volts in Napier on Saturday; and the Aces in Auckland — the last round of before the Hagley Oval Finals at the end of the month.

The race is also now down to just five teams, as the Stags’ win against Martin Guptill’s Aces bumped the Wellington Firebirds out of the running.

Rowe’s Central Hinds have meanwhile set the house on fire with five consecutive wins — the first time the Hinds have won five T20s in a season since 2010/11.

In fact, roll the clock back to that summer and there were six wins on the bounce — meaning an away win in Hamilton, against a side they have already beaten once in this season’s competition, will equal the Hinds’ record.

Overseas pro and spinning allrounder Grace Scrivens had a blinder in the latest 29-run victory, over Maddy Green’s Auckland Hearts in Napier. 

Scrivens’ tight 4/13 was her overall T20 career best performance, and prevented the dangerous Hearts batters from getting momentum on a tricky deck. 

That’s on the back of a career-best 4/13 from spinner Ashtuti Kumar earlier in the week against the Brave at the same venue, a match that saw pace star Rosemary Mair also pick up 4/11 on her home ground.

The Hinds are now breathing down Wellington Blaze’s necks at the top of the table, just two points behind them, and with a game in hand.

Beating the Hearts — after an unbeaten half century from aggressive youngster Emma McLeod in the first innings — was significant, preventing the Hearts from strengthening their own position in the top three as the Hinds moved back up into second spot.

For the Stags, it was the first complete bat-and-ball performance of the season and they could be well chuffed with restricting an Aces line-up feturing both Guptill and Bevon Jacobs for 132/8.

 

Dean Foxcroft fired with the bat, producing a top score of 56 off 41 balls at the top, while Brett Randell, Tickner, Ajaz Patel and Joey Field all delivered moments of brilliance in the field.

Randell (1/26) set the tone with a tight opening over under lights in front of a vocal young crowd boosted by the local institution that is the Hawke’s Bay Cricket Camps.

Tickner’s early return from a dislocated shoulder went smoothly, the big strikeman taking 2/24 off his four overs.

Patel took 2/20 - including his old Suburbs New Lynn clubmate Guptill - and brilliantly ran out Aces top order debutant Adam Jones, from the bowling crease. 

But Field topped even that effort with the catch of the season, mastering the new rules for claiming a catch after stepping across the rope.

Collectively, it saw the Stags defend 142/7 against a fancied team.

Scrivens was the Hinds’ star of the day, and is among the top handful of wicket-takers nationally, as well as one of the most economical.

She took the key wicket of Green, who was stumped on 35 by Kate Gaging at 92/7 to expose the Hearts’ tail.

Tuesday in the Tron sees the Hinds’ game begin at 2.10pm with livescores at www.cdcricket.co.nz and live, free coverage in New Zealand on TVNZ+ and Duke TV.

The Stags follow from 5.55pm with exclusive content on the Central Hinds and Stags Instagram channels.

Tickets for Saturday's last home doubleheader at McLean Park, against the Sparks and Volts (under lights), are available at www.cdcricket.co.nz with discounts for buying ahead of the matchday.

2025/26 SUPER SMASH — presented by KFC

ROUND EIGHT OF 10

Seddon Park, Hamilton

18 January 2026

1.10pm | Central Hinds v Northern Brave Women

5.55pm | Central Stags v Northern Brave Men (under lights)

CENTRAL HINDS

Hannah Rowe — captain, Manawatū

Georgia Atkinson, Wairarapa

Flora Devonshire — Hawke’s Bay

Kate Gaging — wicketkeeper, Nelson

Ashtuti Kumar — Manawatū

Emma McLeod — Wairarapa

Rosemary Mair — vice-captain, Hawke’s Bay

Jess Ogden — Manawatū

Cate Pedersen — Hawke’s Bay

Grace Scrivens — overseas player

Bryony Smith —overseas player

Kerry Tomlinson — Taranaki

Head Coach: Deepak Joon

Assistant Coach: Greg Hay

Contracted players unavailable for selection:

Ocean Bartlett (concussion)

CENTRAL STAGS

Tom Bruce — captain, Taranaki

Sam Cassidy — Hawke’s Bay

Will Clark — Hawke’s Bay

Dane Cleaver — wicketkeeper, Manawatū

Joey Field — Hawke’s Bay

Toby Findlay — Hawke’s Bay

Dean Foxcroft — Hawke’s Bay

Curtis Heaphy — Manawatū

Ajaz Patel — Hawke’s Bay

Brett Randell — Nelson

Angus Schaw — Hawke’s Bay

Blair Tickner — Hawke’s Bay

Head Coach: Ben F. Smith

Assistant Coach: Kieran Noema-Barnett

Contracted players unavailable for selection:

Will Young, Josh Clarkson, Jayden Lennox (BLACKCAPS ODI series in India)

ALSO COMING UP

24 January 2026

McLean Park, Napier 

2.10pm: Central Hinds v Sparks

5.55pm: Central Stags v Volts (under lights)

Tickets at www.cdcricket.co.nz

Full schedule at www.supersmash.co.nz

Article added: Monday 19 January 2026