1 Apr 2025ND have won the Plunket Shield First-Class competition in decisive fashion in Dunedin today, for the first time since 2011/12.
It is a poetic moment for Neil Wagner, who concludes his domestic career today at the same ground he started at back in 2008 for Otago against ND. He made the move up north for the 2018/19 season. Wagner heads to Durham Cricket later this year as a hero of the New Zealand international and domestic scene. His passion and endless energy have been a source of inspiration for young cricketers around the country, and his signature on-field celebrations will be sorely missed.
The final round of the Plunket Shield was a must-win for ND. Due to a close top three contenders on the points table (ND, Canterbury and Wellington), we needed the outright win points to secure the Shield.
The Otago Volts did not make easy pickings on day four for ND captain Jeet Raval and his band of brothers. ND needed seven wickets, and the Volts required 287.
In a thrilling morning's play, Wagner took four wickets to secure a five-fer, and young seamer Josh Brown helped with two more. The final wicket fell before lunch, and it was Henry Cooper’s spin delivering the winning scalp.
The match was littered with excellent individual performances:
- Jeet Raval: 48th First-Class 50. 14th for Northern Districts
- Joe Carter: 11th First-Class 100. 9th for Northern Districts
- Scott Kuggeleijn: 19th First-Class 50. 16th for Northern Districts
- Scott Kuggeleijn: 20th First-Class 50. 17th for Northern Districts & fastest 50 runs by balls faced (19 balls) in New Zealand First Class cricket. 19 balls faced.
- Neil Wagner: 37th First-Class 5-wicket bag
