Northern Districts men’s cricket team

Encyclopedia

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 Plunket Shield first-class competition, the Ford Trophy domestic one-day competition and the Men’s Super Smash T20 competition as the Northern Brave. The T20 team was previously known as the Northern Knights until the 2021–22 season, when both the men’s and women’s teams were rebranded under the same name.

Northern Districts, the last of the six current teams to attain first-class status, joined the Plunket Shield competition in 1956–57. The six district associations that make up Northern Districts are the Northland Cricket Association, Counties Manukau Cricket Association, Waikato Valley Cricket, Hamilton Cricket Association, Bay of Plenty Cricket and Poverty Bay Cricket Association.

Honours

  • Plunket Shield (8)

1962–63, 1979–80, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1999–00, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2011–12.

  • The Ford Trophy (7)

1979–80, 1994–95, 1997–98, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2008–09, 2009–10.

  • Men’s Super Smash (4)

2013–14, 2017–18, 2021-22, 2022-23

Grounds

  • Seddon Park, Hamilton (primary home ground)
  • Bay Oval, Blake Park Mount Maunganui
  • Cobham Oval, Whangarei
  • Harry Barker Reserve, Gisborne
  • Owen Delany Park, Taupo

Squad

Northern Knights celebrate taking Martin Guptill’s wicket, 26 December 2011.

Former Northern Knights Twenty20 emblem

Contracted players for the 2017/18 Season[3][4][5]

  • No. denotes the player’s squad number, as worn on the back of their shirt.
  • double-dagger denotes players with international caps.
No. Name Nationality Birth date Batting style Bowling style Notes
Batsmen
22 Kane Williamson double-dagger  New Zealand 8 August 1990 (age 32) Right-handed Right arm off break NZC contract
4 Dean Brownlie double-dagger  New Zealand 30 July 1984 (age 38) Right-handed Right-arm medium Captain
22 Jeet Raval double-dagger  New Zealand 22 May 1988 (age 34) Left-handed Left arm leg break & googly
5 Joe Carter  New Zealand 17 December 1992 (age 30) Right-handed Right arm off break
14 Henry Cooper  New Zealand 20 May 1993 (age 29) Right-handed Right arm off break
21 Katene Clarke  New Zealand 21 September 1999 (age 23) Right-handed Right-arm slow-medium
All-rounders
– Colin de Grandhomme double-dagger  New Zealand 22 July 1986 (age 36) Right handed Right-arm fast-medium NZC contract
33 Mitchell Santner double-dagger  New Zealand 25 July 1993 (age 29) Left-handed Slow left-arm orthodox NZC contract
13 Anton Devcich double-dagger  New Zealand 28 September 1985 (age 37) Left-handed Slow left-arm orthodox
30 Brett Hampton  New Zealand 30 April 1991 (age 31) Right-handed Right arm medium-fast
Wicket-keepers
11 BJ Watling double-dagger  New Zealand 9 July 1985 (age 37) Right-handed – NZC contract
24 Tim Seifert double-dagger  New Zealand 14 December 1994 (age 28) Right-handed –
12 Peter Bocock  New Zealand 12 April 1991 (age 32) Right-handed –
Bowlers
8 Trent Boult double-dagger  New Zealand 22 July 1989 (age 33) Right-handed Left arm medium-fast
16 Tim Southee double-dagger  New Zealand 11 December 1988 (age 34) Right-handed Right arm medium-fast NZC contract
35 Neil Wagner double-dagger  New Zealand 13 March 1986 (age 37) Left-handed Left-arm fast–medium NZC contract
17 Ish Sodhi double-dagger  New Zealand 31 October 1992 (age 30) Right-handed Right arm leg break NZC contract
44 Scott Kuggeleijn double-dagger  New Zealand 3 January 1992 (age 31) Right-handed Right arm fast-medium
29 James Baker double-dagger  Samoa 16 February 1988 (age 35) Right-handed Right arm medium-fast
15 Zak Gibson  New Zealand 19 March 1997 (age 26) Right-handed Right arm fast-medium
32 Matthew Fisher  New Zealand 10 November 1999 (age 23) Right-handed Right arm medium-fast
6 Brett Randell  New Zealand 20 May 1995 (age 27) Right-handed Right arm medium-fast
25 Anurag Verma  New Zealand 5 August 1990 (age 32) Right-handed Right arm medium-fast
10 Joe Walker  New Zealand 6 September 1992 (age 30) Right-handed Right arm off-spin