Brett Randell has made world first-class cricket history by becoming the first player to take five wickets in five balls, amid a career-best haul of 7/25 that is one of the Central Stags' best ever bowling performances.

Randell's feat saw him sitting on figures of 7/4 at one stage, all seven wickets falling in the same session (Day Two of the sixth-round match at McLean Park, against Plunket Shield leader Northern Districts).

It will go down in history as a one-of-a-kind first-class hat-trick, the first WWWWW in first-class cricket's 254-year long history. 

Spinner Bryan Yuile (9/100 in 1966) is the only man to have taken a better first-class bag for the team, so it's also the best ever bowling figures by a Stags pace bowler.

“I’m pretty blown away," said Randell during the tea break.

"The high was pretty crazy, it was like a pinch-me moment.

“I was trying to stay level-headed and keep putting the ball in the same area and then after the actual hat-trick, just the same things — trying to put the ball in the same area.

“It gets drummed into us a lot that we don't want to go searching for wickets, so I was trying to just keep bowling the same ball, and our “Plan A” that we’d talked about, and it came off.

“I had no idea that it was the first time it [five wicket in five balls in first-class cricket] had happened in the world, it's seriously cool. I mean, I don't really have any words at the moment, to be honest. I'll take it.”

Randell's first five wickets had Northern Districts reeling at 9/5. 

It was just the eighth hat-trick in Stags first-class cricket, and helped dismiss Northern Districts for a mere 82 - Stags captain Tom Bruce enforcing the follow on with a lead of 291, after having been sent in on the previous sunny morning in Napier.

Earlier in the day, Stags keeper-batter Dane Cleaver scored his 10th first-class century in a memorable day for the side. He had begun the morning on 99 not out.

By stumps, Northern was five down in their second innings, hanging on after a rallying career best half century from their allrounder Kristian Clarke.

Stags left-arm seamer RAY TOOLE was meanwhile on overnight figures of 4/16 with Northern trailing the Stags by 129 runs overall heading into the third day.

The following day - Day Three - Clarke went on to his maiden century, but Toole went on to his fourth five-wicket bag with his tidy 5/32 including 10 maidens in his 20 overs.

The Stags got the ninth wicket just a minute before the scheduled lunch break, and were therefore able to take the extra half hour.

The final wicket sealed an innings victory, by an innings and 27 runs, over the reigning champions and current leaders, with a day and two sessions to spare.

The full 20 points saw the Stags catapult from fifth to second on the ladder, with their next game in Rangiora, Canterbury next week before a last round rematch in Hamilton with Northern as the top teams keep fighting for the historic trophy.

Article added: Sunday 8 March 2026