Latest news with #PlunketShield
RNZ News
2 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
2 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
India Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
Former New Zealand batter to play for Scotland in Cricket World Cup League 2
Tom Bruce, the former New Zealand international, has committed his future to Scotland and will feature in their squad for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 series in Canada later this month. The 34-year-old right-hander, who represented the Black Caps in 17 T20Is between 2017 and 2020, became eligible for Scotland through his Edinburgh-born connection to Scottish cricket stretches back almost a decade. In 2016, he turned out for Scotland's Development XI, scoring an unbeaten 132 against Durham Academy, but ICC regulations at the time prevented him from making a full international appearance. With eligibility now secured, he is set to add both quality and experience to the Scottish prolific performer for Central Districts in New Zealand's domestic circuit, Bruce has compiled over 6,200 first-class runs at an average of 47.12. His record includes 11 centuries, headlined by a monumental 345 in the 2024–25 Plunket Shield — the third-highest score in New Zealand's first-class history. In the T20 arena, he has surpassed 2,500 runs for the Stags at a strike rate above 140, notching 18 fifties along the way. Speaking on Bruce being named in the squad, Steve Snell, Cricket Scotland Head of Performance, said, 'We're excited to welcome Tom Bruce into the squad for the first time. He has had a very successful career in New Zealand cricket, but he is proud of his Scottish heritage, and we've been in conversations with him for some time about committing to playing for Scotland. He's excited to get involved and sees a huge level of opportunity for both him and the team moving forward.'Currently sitting third in the League 2 standings, Scotland are in a tight race with Canada and Namibia. Bruce's inclusion comes at a crucial point in their World Cup qualification campaign, adding both stability and firepower to a squad aiming to climb further up the Men's Squad for ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2Richie Berrington, Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross, Brad Currie, Josh Davey, Jasper Davidson, Chris Greaves, Jack Jarvis, Michael Leask, Finlay McCreath, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Charlie Tear, Mark WattICC Cricket World Cup League 2 Series scheduleAugust 27 – Canada v Namibia – 20:30 IST – 01:30 IST, August 28August 29 – Namibia v Scotland – 20:30 IST – 01:30 IST, August 30August 31 – Canada v Scotland – 20:30 IST – 01:30 IST, September 1September 2 – Canada v Namibia – 20:30 IST – 01:30 IST, September 3September 4 – Namibia v Scotland – 20:30 IST – 01:30 IST, September 5September 6 – Canada v Scotland – 20:30 IST – 01:30 IST, September 7- Ends
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Season to start with white ball
Otago will get their summer under way with the white ball again. New Zealand Cricket unveiled the domestic one-day schedules yesterday, confirming the men's and women's seasons will start with the Ford Trophy and Hallyburton Johnstone Shield respectively. The Ford Trophy will get under way in October for the second season, after a successful shift to open the summer with the competition instead of the Plunket Shield last year, and the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield starts in November. The Otago Volts meet defending Ford Trophy champions Canterbury away on October 25 to start the season. They will host home games at the University Oval on November 3, February 4 and February 7. They also host Canterbury at Queens Park in Invercargill on February 10, and Auckland in Queenstown on February 17. The Sparks start their Hallyburton Johnstone defence at home with a doubleheader against the Auckland Hearts — whom they beat in the 2024-25 final — on November 15-16. They have six games on the road before returning to Dunedin for the final two round robin games against Canterbury on February 14-15. The Basin Reserve will host both one-day competition finals. Ford Trophy's elimination final is scheduled for February 20 with the final on February 22. Hallyburton Johnstone's final is scheduled for February 21. New Zealand Cricket operations officer Catherine Campbell said changing the order of the men's competitions was well received by players and coaches in 2024. 'It helped our domestic bowlers build up their bowling loads initially through one-day cricket, which better prepared them for the physical demands of four-day cricket later in the season. 'This season we've been able to again, with the Ford Trophy being played over the top of England's white-ball tour of New Zealand, and the Plunket Shield providing a good run-up into the West Indies test series." The women's competition could benefit from the White Ferns returning from the Women's Cricket World Cup, which wraps up in India ahead of the domestic season. "We'd expect many of those players to be available for HBJ. We are also playing another North v South series in the week leading up to Christmas, which adds a little extra context on performances," Campbell said. The one-day competitions will again be split by the first half of the Plunket Shield and the Super Smash season. The Plunket Shield draw will be released tomorrow and the T20 schedule will be announced on Monday. Otago cricket One-day schedules Ford Trophy: v Canterbury (away), Oct 25; v Auckland (away), Oct 30; v CD (home), Nov 3; v Wellington (away), Nov 8; v ND (away), Nov 12; v ND (home), Feb 4; v Wellington (home), Feb 7; v Canterbury (home), Feb 10, v CD (away) Feb 13, Auckland (home) Feb 17. Hallyburton Johnstone Shield: v Auckland (home), Nov 15-16; v ND (away), Nov 29-30, v CD (away), Dec 13-14; Wellington (away), Feb 7-8; v Canterbury (home), Feb 14-15.
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Blacks Caps have options but fans want Williamson to make more history
With a couple of strong performances to start the Plunket Shield, Nicholls will have forced his way back into the conversation for one of the Black Caps' middle-order positions. Frustratingly, however, Will Young still cannot clear the hurdle of a first test century. His consistent scores of 40 to 80 show he has the talent but perhaps there is a mental barrier to the three-figure milestone. Unfortunately for him, pretty half-centuries can be easily forgotten when looking at a scorecard and averages. Without a mark in the century column after 22 tests, Young may find himself on the outside looking in when Williamson and Latham return. We are fortunate that in our bowling battery – post the great trio of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner – Matt Henry has cemented himself as New Zealand's talisman. During the last 18 months, the Cantabrian has been one of the world's best pace bowlers. With a fit and healthy Will O'Rourke, Walter also has an increasingly impressive list of young pace bowlers developing. He could well be afforded the luxury of rotating the quicks through the now constantly packed schedule of cricket. Selfishly, however, Black Caps fans must have wanted to see Williamson play in this two-test series against Zimbabwe. Instead of scoring hundreds for Middlesex, he could've been making more tons with a fern on his helmet. As we watch England's greatest batsman of this generation, Joe Root, chase down Sachin Tendulkar's all-time test runs record, Kiwi cricket tragics must sigh at the sight of a Black Caps team without our own wizard in whites. It has become too familiar to note Williamson is missing in action, with the 35-year-old having now missed a third of all New Zealand's test matches this decade. We desperately dreamed of a triple century before Brendon's McCullum's heroics at the Basin Reserve, and we long for a New Zealander to break the barrier of 10,000 test runs. With only six tests scheduled for New Zealand over the next 12 months, we'll cross our fingers that Williamson avoids any injuries in a T20 franchise league and plays in all of them. Perhaps it is set up for a farewell tour and achieving the feat by smashing Australia on Boxing Day 2026? Sign up to the Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
