Brett Randell has made world first-class cricket history by taking five wickets in five balls, among a career best haul of 7/25 that is one of the Central Stags' best ever bowling performances.
Only spinner Bryan Yuile (9/100 in 1966) has taken a better first-class bag for the team, but Randell's feat, with all seven wickets falling in the same session this morning (Day Two of the sixth round match at McLean Park against Plunket Shield leader Northern Districts) will go down in history for the one-of-a-kind first-class hat-trick.
Brett Randell is the first player in the long history of FC cricket to take 5 wickets in 5 balls. (And first to take 6 in 8). His 7 in 12 has been bettered just once. #PlunketShield
— Francis Payne (@FPayne100) March 7, 2026
Randell's first five wickets had Northern Districts reeling at 9/5 - and at one point he himself was sitting on figures of 7/4.
He claimed just the eighth hat-trick in Stags first-class cricket, and helped to dismiss Northern Districts for just 82.
Stags captain Tom Bruce then enforced the follow on with a lead of 291, after having been sent in on the previous sunny morning in Napier.
“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.
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“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.”
Hat-tricks for @CentralStags: Gary Bartlett, Matt Toynbee, Peter Visser, Tim Anderson, Mitch McClenaghan, Kieran Noema-Barnett, Blair Tickner, Brett Randell #PlunketShield
— Francis Payne (@FPayne100) March 7, 2026
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Earlier in the day, Stags keeper-batter Dane Cleaver scored his 10th first-class century in a memorable day for the Major Association team.
Entry is free admission at each Plunket Shield venue with free livestreams on NZC YouTube and livescoring at www.nzc.nz and on the NZC app.
Points at a glance (number of wins) prior to Round Six
65 Northern Districts (3)
55 Auckland Aces (2)
53 Canterbury (2)
47 Otago (1)
46 Central Stags (2)
26 Wellington Firebirds (0)
