The Central Stags, formerly known as Central Districts, are a
first-class cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
team based in central New Zealand. They are the men's representative side of the Central Districts Cricket Association. They compete in the
Plunket Shield
New Zealand has had a domestic first-class cricket championship since the 1906–07 season. Since the 2009–10 season it has been known by its original name of the Plunket Shield.
History
The Plunket Shield competition was instigated in Octob ...
first-class competition,
The Ford Trophy domestic one-day competition and the
Men's Super Smash Twenty20
Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single inn ...
competition. They are one of six teams that make up
New Zealand Cricket
New Zealand Cricket, formerly the New Zealand Cricket Council, is the governing body for professional cricket in New Zealand. Cricket is the most popular and highest profile summer sport in New Zealand.
New Zealand Cricket operates the New Z ...
. They were the fifth of the current teams to compete in the Plunket Shield, which they entered for the first time in the 1950/51 season.
History
Central Districts comprises eight District associations:
Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region i ...
,
Horowhenua
Horowhenua District is a territorial authority district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand, administered by Horowhenua District Council. Located north of Wellington and Kapiti, it stretches from slightly north of the town of ...
-
Kapiti Kapiti or Kāpiti may refer to:
*Kapiti Island, an island a short distance off the New Zealand coast north of Wellington
*Kapiti Coast District, the local government district which includes much of the Kapiti Coast
*Kapiti Coast Airport, an airport ...
,
Manawatu,
Taranaki
Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont.
The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...
,
Wairarapa
The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...
and
Wanganui
Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...
in the
North Island, and
Marlborough and
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
in the
South Island. Previously, many players from these regions competed for Wellington. More than a century before the eventual founding of the Central Districts Cricket Association, the first fully recorded cricket match in New Zealand was played in what is now one of its districts, in
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
, a men's match in March 1844.
Between October 2016 and February 2019, the team set a new Central Districts record for the number of consecutive first-class matches without a defeat, with 21. The previous Central Stags record in the Plunket Shield was 12, while the New Zealand record for most consecutive domestic first-class matches without a loss is 24, set by Wellington (now known as the
Wellington Firebirds
The Wellington Firebirds are one of six New Zealand men's first-class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket.
It is based in Wellington. It competes in the Plunket Shield first class (4-day) competition, The Ford Trophy domestic one ...
) between 1984/85 and 1986/87.
Retired top order batsman
Peter Ingram
Peter John Ingram (born 25 October 1978) is a former New Zealand cricketer, who played for Central Districts. He is a right-handed batsman primarily, and is an occasional right arm off spin bowler. He is the fastest male cricketer to earn his ...
holds the record for the highest individual first-class score for the Central Stags with an innings of 247 in 2008/09, and also scored their second highest individual score with 245 not out in 2009/10.
The New Zealand T20 all wickets partnership record is also held by Peter Ingram, having put on 201 for the first wicket with
Jamie How
Jamie Michael How (born 19 May 1981) is a former cricketer who has played Test match, One Day International and Twenty20 International cricket for New Zealand. He attended Palmerston North Boys' High School. In New Zealand domestic cricket, he p ...
at Pukekura Park in 2011/12 against Wellington.
How and
Jeet Raval
Jeet Ashok Raval (born 22 September 1988) is a New Zealand cricketer. Raval is an opening batsman, who plays for New Zealand internationally and Northern Districts domestically. Originally from Ahmedabad in India, Raval played cricket for New ...
share the New Zealand Domestic List A partnership record of 321, set against Northern Districts at
Seddon Park
Seddon Park is a cricket ground in Hamilton, New Zealand. It is the fourth-largest cricket ground in the country, and is renowned for its "village green" setting, affording a picnic atmosphere for spectators.
History
Seddon Park was named aft ...
in 2012/13, a match in which How became the first player to score a Ford Trophy double century, reaching his hundred in 49 balls and breaking the record that was held by retired Canterbury batsman
Peter Fulton.
The Central Stags is the home side of one of New Zealand's greatest batsmen,
Ross Taylor
Luteru Ross Poutoa Lote Taylor (born 8 March 1984) is a former international cricketer and former captain of the New Zealand national team. Batting predominantly at number four, when he announced his retirement from international cricket at ...
, who made his first-class debut for the team as an 18-year-old on 9 January 2003. In 2021/22 at Pukekura Park, Taylor broke the record for the fastest Ford Trophy century, reaching his hundred in 49 balls, breaking the national record that had been held by retired Canterbury batsman
Peter Fulton.
In 2017,
Brad Schmulian
Bradley Dean Schmulian (born 3 August 1990) is a New Zealand cricketer who plays for Central Districts.
Early life
He was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and moved to New Zealand at the age of nine. Schmulian was awarded the Auckland Cricket A ...
hit the highest score by any New Zealand cricketer on first-class debut with an innings of 203 for the Central Stags against
Northern Districts
The Northern Districts men's cricket team are one of six New Zealand first-class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket.
They are based in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand (excluding Auckland). They compete in the ...
at
Bay Oval
Bay Oval is a cricket ground in Mount Maunganui, Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty area of New Zealand. The ground was built in Blake Park and opened in 2005.
Bay Oval has hosted men's and women's international limited overs matches since 2014. It h ...
. The previous record had stood since the late 19th century.
In 2010,
Kieran Noema-Barnett set a New Zealand record for the fastest T20 half century, off just 18 balls. In the 2016
Ford Trophy Grand Final, another Central Stags batsman,
Tom Bruce, added the record for the fastest one-day half century in New Zealand with his 50 coming off 16 balls.
Two batsmen named Ben Smith have played for the Central Stags. Adding to the confusion, both
Ben Smith and
Ben Smith have scored a first-class double century for the team.
Two of New Zealand's premier cricketing schools,
New Plymouth Boys' High School
New Plymouth Boys' High School is a single-sex boys' state secondary school in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand.
The school currently caters for approximately 1300 students, including 210 boarders, on its site.
The school often collabora ...
and
Palmerston North Boys' High, have produced a number of Stags players, along with schools such as
Napier Boys' High School,
Nelson College
Nelson College is the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand. It is an all-boys school in the City of Nelson that teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it runs a private preparatory school for year 7 and 8 boys. The school also has ...
and
Whanganui Collegiate.
The CEO of Central Districts Cricket Association is a former Central Stags player,
Lance Hamilton. In September 2019 former CEO Pete de Wet announced that CDCA had signed renowned international coach
Mickey Arthur
John Michael Arthur (born 17 May 1968) is a South African-Australian cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer, who played in South African domestic cricket from 1986 to 2001. He has served as the head coach of the Derbyshire County Cri ...
as the Central Stags T20 coach for the 2019/20
Super Smash season, however Arthur was granted a contract release before the competition began.
In 2019/20, the team had a chance to become the first team since 1940 to win the Plunket Shield for three seasons in a row. However, the team was second on the table when the final two rounds of the eight-match season were cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. The Plunket Shield was awarded to the
Wellington cricket team
The Wellington Firebirds are one of six New Zealand men's first-class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket.
It is based in Wellington. It competes in the Plunket Shield first class (4-day) competition, The Ford Trophy domestic one da ...
, whom they had been about to play at
McLean Park
McLean Park is a sports ground in Napier, New Zealand. The two main sports played at the ground are cricket and rugby union. It is one of the largest cricket grounds in New Zealand.
McLean Park is a sports ground of international standards ...
, with the Stags declared runners-up.
Honours
*
Plunket Shield
New Zealand has had a domestic first-class cricket championship since the 1906–07 season. Since the 2009–10 season it has been known by its original name of the Plunket Shield.
History
The Plunket Shield competition was instigated in Octob ...
(11)
1953–54, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1970–71, 1986–87, 1991–92, 1998–99, 2005–06, 2012–13, 2017–18, 2018–19
*
The Ford Trophy (6)
1984–85, 2000–01, 2003–04,
2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16
*
Men's Super Smash (3)
2007–08, 2009–10, 2018–19
Grounds
Current
*
McLean Park
McLean Park is a sports ground in Napier, New Zealand. The two main sports played at the ground are cricket and rugby union. It is one of the largest cricket grounds in New Zealand.
McLean Park is a sports ground of international standards ...
,
Napier
*
Saxton Oval,
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
*
Pukekura Park
Pukekura Park is a Garden of National Significance, covering 52 hectares near the heart of New Plymouth, Taranaki in New Zealand.
History
The gala opening of New Plymouth's 15 hectare Recreation Ground was held on 29 May 1876. During the day th ...
,
New Plymouth
*
Fitzherbert Park
Fitzherbert Park is a cricket ground in Palmerston North in New Zealand, a home ground of the Central Districts. In February 2000, New Zealand Women defeated England Women at the ground.
The ground is situated on Fitzherbert Avenue in the par ...
,
Palmerston North
Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...
Since 2014-15, Central Districts have used McLean Park,
Nelson Park, Napier
Nelson Park is a cricket ground in Napier, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. It is situated in Napier South, about 600 metres south-west of the Napier CBD, and about 200 metres north-west of Napier's main sports stadium, McLean Park.
Establishment
A sy ...
and Saxton Oval for first-class matches. Pukekura Park and Fitzherbert Park, as well as McLean Park and Saxton Oval, are still used regularly for List A matches. Pukekura Park and McLean Park are used for T20 matches.
Former
*
Horton Park, Blenheim
*
Dannevirke Domain
Dannevirke Domain is a park of about 20 hectares on the eastern fringe of the town of Dannevirke, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. Among its recreational facilities it includes a cricket ground.
The first recorded cricket match held at Dannevirke Doma ...
,
Dannevirke
*Cornwall Park,
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
*
Levin Domain,
Levin
*
Queen Elizabeth Park, Masterton
Queen Elizabeth Park is a park in Masterton, Wairarapa, New Zealand, beside the Waipoua River. It was named Masterton Park until 1954, when it was renamed in honour of Queen Elizabeth II after her visit to Masterton. The park has gardens and a l ...
*
Memorial Park, Motueka
*
Trafalgar Park, Nelson
*
Yarrow Stadium
Yarrow Stadium is situated in the central suburb of Westown in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand, with main vehicle access off Maratahu Street. Named the third best rugby stadium on earth by ''New Zealand Rugby World'' magazine in May 2009, ...
,
New Plymouth
*
Waikanae Park,
Waikanae
Waikanae (, ) is a town on the Kapiti Coast, 60 kilometres north of the Wellington CBD. The name is a Māori word meaning "waters" (''wai'') "of the grey mullet".
The town lies between Paraparaumu, eight kilometres to the southwest, and Ōt ...
*
Cooks Gardens,
Whanganui
Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...
*
Victoria Park, Whanganui
Victoria Park is a cricket ground in Whanganui, Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand.
The ground is located in the park of the same name, on Parsons Street, Whanganui. It houses the headquarters of the Whanganui Cricket Association. There are four c ...
Current squad
* No. denotes the player's squad number, as worn on the back of their shirt.
* denotes players with international caps.
Notable players
New Zealand
*
Craig Ingham
Craig Donald Ingham (born 26 July 1965 in Nelson) is a New Zealand cricketer who played for Central Districts Stags and for the Nelson in the Hawke Cup
The Hawke Cup is a non-first-class cricket competition for New Zealand's district assoc ...
*
Don Beard
Donald Derek Beard (14 January 1920 – 15 July 1982) was a New Zealand cricketer who played in four Tests from 1952 to 1956.
Early life and career
Don Beard grew up in the country near Palmerston North, cycling 15 miles a day to attend Palmer ...
*
Harry Cave
Henry Butler Cave (10 October 1922 – 15 September 1989) was a New Zealand cricketer who captained New Zealand in nine of his 19 Test matches. His Test career extended from 1949 to 1958, and he played first-class cricket from 1945 to 1959.
E ...
*
Bevan Congdon
*
Vic Pollard
Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense) ...
*
Bryan Yuile
Bryan William Yuile (born 29 October 1941) is a retired cricketer who played 17 Test matches for New Zealand in the 1960s. He played first-class cricket from 1959 to 1972, until his religious objection to playing on Sundays led to the end of h ...
*
Ian Leggat
Ian Bruce Leggat (born 7 June 1930) is a former New Zealand cricketer who played in one Test match in 1954. His cousin, Gordon Leggat, also played Test cricket for New Zealand.
Early life
Leggat was born in Invercargill, New Zealand. He atte ...
*
Jock Edwards
*
Mike Shrimpton
Michael John Froud Shrimpton (23 June 1940 – 13 June 2015) was a New Zealand cricketer and coach.
A middle-order batsman and leg-spinner, he played 10 Tests from 1963 to 1974, but was never able to establish himself in the side. He played fo ...
*
Scott Briasco
*
Lance Cairns
*
David O'Sullivan
*
Ian Smith
Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to 1 ...
*
Martin Crowe
Martin David Crowe (22 September 1962 – 3 March 2016) was a New Zealand cricketer, Test and ODI captain as well as a commentator. He played for the New Zealand national cricket team between 1982 and 1995, and is regarded as one of the count ...
*
Andrew Jones
*
Mark Greatbatch
*
Gary Robertson
*
Glen Sulzberger
*
Greg Loveridge
*
Craig Findlay
*
Andrew Penn
*
Carl Bulfin
Carl Edwin Bulfin (born 19 August 1973) is a former New Zealand cricketer who played in four One Day Internationals in 1999.
Bulfin was selected for the New Zealand cricket team after several explosive performances in the domestic one day and ...
*
Ewen Thompson
*
Mark Douglas
*
Roger Twose
*
Tony Blain
*
Craig Spearman
Craig Murray Spearman (born 4 July 1972) is an English-New Zealand former cricketer who played 19 Tests and 51 One Day Internationals for New Zealand from 1995–2001.
He took his education from Kelston Boys High School, Auckland and then to Ma ...
*
Derek Stirling
Derek Alexander Stirling (born 5 October 1961) is a former New Zealand cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each co ...
*
Brendon Diamanti
*
Jamie How
Jamie Michael How (born 19 May 1981) is a former cricketer who has played Test match, One Day International and Twenty20 International cricket for New Zealand. He attended Palmerston North Boys' High School. In New Zealand domestic cricket, he p ...
*
Peter Ingram
Peter John Ingram (born 25 October 1978) is a former New Zealand cricketer, who played for Central Districts. He is a right-handed batsman primarily, and is an occasional right arm off spin bowler. He is the fastest male cricketer to earn his ...
*
Michael Mason
*
Ross Taylor
Luteru Ross Poutoa Lote Taylor (born 8 March 1984) is a former international cricketer and former captain of the New Zealand national team. Batting predominantly at number four, when he announced his retirement from international cricket at ...
*
Jacob Oram
Jacob David Philip Oram (born 28 July 1978) is a former New Zealand international cricketer, who played all forms of the game for 10 years. He was a left-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler. His ability with both bat and ball mad ...
*
Mathew Sinclair
Mathew Stuart Sinclair (born 9 November 1975) is an Australian-born New Zealand cricketer. He is a right-handed middle order batsman who has also opened the innings. He holds the equal world record for the highest Test score (214) by a number t ...
*
Lance Hamilton
*
Jesse Ryder
Jesse Daniel Ryder (born 6 August 1984) is a former international New Zealand cricketer, who played all forms of the game. He is a middle-order batsman for Tests and is an opening batsman in ODIs. Ryder also bowls useful medium-pace.
Ryder has ...
*
Doug Bracewell
Douglas Andrew John Bracewell (born 28 September 1990) is an international New Zealand cricketer who currently plays for Central Districts. He is a right-handed batsman and bowls right-arm fast-medium pace. He is the son of former Test cricket ...
*
Kieran Noema-Barnett
*
Tarun Nethula
Tarun Sai Nethula (born 8 May 1983) is an Indian-born cricketer who has played for the New Zealand national cricket team. He started his cricket training at St. Johns Cricket Academy in Hyderabad, Telangana and moved to New Zealand at the age of ...
*
Jeet Raval
Jeet Ashok Raval (born 22 September 1988) is a New Zealand cricketer. Raval is an opening batsman, who plays for New Zealand internationally and Northern Districts domestically. Originally from Ahmedabad in India, Raval played cricket for New ...
*
Mitchell McClenaghan
Mitchell John McClenaghan (born 11 June 1986) is a New Zealand international cricketer who plays limited over internationals for New Zealand national cricket team, New Zealand. Domestically, he plays for Otago cricket team, Otago in New Zealan ...
*
Adam Milne
Adam Fraser Milne (born 13 April 1992) is a New Zealand professional cricketer who plays limited overs cricket for the New Zealand national cricket team. He is a right-arm fast bowler.
Early life
Milne was born in Palmerston North, New Zeala ...
*
Andrew Mathieson
*
Ben Wheeler
*
Will Young
William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Idol ...
*
George Worker
George Herrick Worker (born 23 August 1989) is a New Zealand international cricketer. He was named in New Zealand's squad for their tour to Zimbabwe in August 2015, after Mitchell Santner was ruled out due to injury. He made his Twenty20 Inter ...
*
Tom Bruce
*
Ajaz Patel
Ajaz Yunus Patel (born 21 October 1988) is a New Zealand cricketer who plays for Central Districts in domestic cricket. Patel is a slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler. He made his international debut for the New Zealand cricket team in October 20 ...
*
Seth Rance
Seth Rance (born 23 August 1987) is a New Zealand cricketer who plays domestically for Central Districts. He made his international debut for the New Zealand cricket team in May 2017.
Domestic career
Along with Brent Arnel, he was the joint-hi ...
*
Blair Tickner
*
Brad Schmulian
Bradley Dean Schmulian (born 3 August 1990) is a New Zealand cricketer who plays for Central Districts.
Early life
He was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and moved to New Zealand at the age of nine. Schmulian was awarded the Auckland Cricket A ...
*
Willem Ludick
England
*
Ben Smith
*
Peter Trego
Peter David Trego (born 12 June 1981) is a former English cricketer who played primarily for Somerset. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler. He is a big hitting all-rounder who is capable of taking a one-day match away f ...
*
Graham Napier
Graham Richard Napier (born 6 January 1980) is an English former cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast bowler, and was capable of bowling 90+mph.
Napier played first-class cricket for his home county of Essex since the ou ...
Sri Lanka
*
Mahela Jayawardena
India
*
Murali Vijay
Murali Vijay (born 1 April 1984) is an Indian international cricketer who plays as a right-handed opening batsman. He was a regular member of the Indian Test team until 2018 and plays for Tamil Nadu in domestic first-class cricket.
After faili ...
*
Amit Mishra
Amit Mishra (born 24 November 1982) is an Indian cricketer. He is an right-arm leg-break bowler and right-handed tail-ender batsman. He plays for Haryana in the domestic Ranji Trophy and currently appears for the T20 franchise Delhi Capitals ...
Records
See
List of New Zealand first-class cricket records
This is a list of New Zealand first-class cricket records; that is, record team and individual performances in first-class cricket for Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Isla ...
References
External links
*
{{New Zealand first-class cricket clubs
New Zealand first-class cricket teams
Cricket clubs established in 1950
1950 establishments in New Zealand
*
Cricket in Central Districts