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RNZ News
6 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Centenary season of Plunket Shield to be celebrated
Northern Districts players celebrate winning the 2024/25 Plunket Shield. Photo: The centenary season of the Plunket Shield men's first class cricket competition will start on 18 November. The Shield was introduced in 1906 and originally competed for on a challenge basis. The inaugural season of first-class competition was 1921-22 when the historic Shield was first contested over a round-robin format by all New Zealand's first-class teams. The centenary season was officially confirmed by NZC statistician and Almanack editor Francis Payne, who noted the complex nature of defining domestic cricket seasons in Aotearoa. "The first game regarded as first-class in New Zealand was in 1863-64 and that was a retrospective ruling, as there had been inter-provincial matches before then that weren't considered to the same standard," he said in a statement from New Zealand Cricket. "The Plunket Shield was first awarded in 1906, by the Governor of New Zealand, Lord Plunket, and was given to Canterbury as the association with the best record that season. "The 1921-22 summer was the start of the men's domestic first-class competition as we know it, with the Plunket Shield competed for on a seasonal basis featuring four of today's six Major Associations, with Central Districts (1950-51) and Northern Districts (1956-57) later additions. "Fast forward to 2025 and, accounting for the five suspended seasons during World War 2 (1939-1945), the upcoming summer is the 100th season of the men's first-class competition, known as the Plunket Shield. "It's a significant milestone for the game in this country and one worth celebrating." Payne noted the competition had undergone a number of name changes during its evolution, at one stage named the Shell Trophy and later the State Championship. The short-lived Shell Conference in the late nineties was a separate first-class competition that ran parallel to the Shell Trophy. New Zealand Cricket has designed a special commemorative logo to mark the 100th season and will also unveil a Plunket Shield all-time XI as part of centenary celebrations leading into and during the coming season. In the opening round champions Northern Districts play Canterbury, Central Districts play Auckland and Wellington play Otago. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Otago to open 100th Plunket Shield season against Wellington
The Plunket Shield hits a ton. Well, sort of. The shield was introduced in 1906, and was competed for on a challenge basis similar to the Ranfurly Shield. But it was put on the line for the inaugural first-class season in 1921-22. First-class cricket was played in New Zealand well before that date, but a structured competition was introduced only that summer. Five seasons were wiped out during World War 2, which makes the 2025-26 season the 100th. Happy birthday. New Zealand Cricket statistician Francis Payne said it was "a significant milestone for the game in this country and one worth celebrating". The opening round in the centennial season gets under way on November 18. Otago will travel to the capital to play Wellington at the Basin Reserve, Central Districts will host Auckland in Palmerston North, and Canterbury will play Northern Districts in Rangiora. Otago's first home game is against arch rivals Canterbury. The game begins on November 26. The Volts have two more games before Christmas, including a home fixture against Central Districts beginning on December 13. The competition goes into hiatus during the traditional holiday period when the Super Smash will take place. It returns in late February and March for four more rounds. Otago's final two games of the season will be hosted at the University Oval. The Volts have not won the Plunket Shield since 1987-88. Northern Districts are the defending champions, but there have been five different winners in the past five seasons. Otago are certainly due. Plunket Shield — Otago's draw • Wellington, Basin Reserve, Nov 18-21 • Canterbury, University Oval, Nov 26-29 • Northern Districts, Seddon Park, Dec 5-8 • Central Districts, University Oval, Dec 13-16 • Canterbury, Hagley Oval, Feb 28-March 3 • Auckland, Eden Park Outer Oval, March 9-12 • Northern Districts, University Oval, March 18-21 • Wellington, University Oval, March 27-30
