New Zealand’s six major associations have announced their first round of contracted players for the 2024-25 domestic summer, including some key player movements and a host of fresh faces earning their first domestic contract offers.
Major associations were able to name up to 15 players in the first round of contract announcements on Tuesday, followed by a two-week official transfer window that allows uncontracted players the chance of assessing their options with another major association.
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Following this, each major association would name a further player to complete their 16-man contract lists.
Contracted players receive a retainer and form the core of each major association’s campaigns across the Plunket Shield, Ford Trophy and Super Smash, but uncontracted players typically also get chances to shine and impress in each region during the season.
Auckland captain Robbie O’Donnell is one of the biggest names to move, shifting south to Northern Districts after 10 years with the Aces.
The 29-year-old top-order batsman, who has captained Auckland since the 2019-20 season, leaves as the Aces’ all-time leading run-scorer across all three formats, amassing 8382 runs, including 12 centuries.
Under his leadership, the Aces won two Ford Trophy titles (2019-20, 2021-22), a Plunket Shield title (2020-21) and the 2023-24 Super Smash title, Auckland’s first men’s T20 trophy since 2016.
Black Cap Leo Carter has traded the red and black of Canterbury for the blue and gold of Otago after a decade in Christchurch.
The top-order batsman has racked up 174 appearances across all three formats, amassing 4923 runs and leaves as Canterbury’s eighth all-time leading T20 run-scorer (999).
Last season’s Plunket Shield champion Wellington Firebirds welcome bowler Liam Dudding to their ranks for the 2024-25 season.
The 30-year-old paceman moves to the Capital following seven years with Central Districts, where he featured 20 times across all three formats, taking 52 wickets, including best first-class match figures of 8-124 in CD's innings win over the Otago Volts in the final match of the season.
Auckland have offered Jock McKenzie and Bevon John Jacobs their first domestic contracts.
Dual-code star McKenzie, who has previously been contracted by Auckland Rugby and the Blues, featured across all three formats for the Aces last summer and featured in the Super Smash grand final as Auckland lifted the trophy at Eden Park.
Jacobs, a product of the Auckland pathway system, burst on to the domestic scene for Canterbury last summer where he played a key role in a successful white-ball season helping the red and blacks lift the Ford Trophy and finish runners-up in the Super Smash.
Former Black Caps pace bowler Neil Wagner has been named on the Northern Districts contract list for the first time, having announced his retirement from international cricket in March.
Blair Tickner returns to the Central Districts list having not been offered a central Black Caps contract for the season ahead.
Alongside the major movements, a further six players have been offered domestic contracts for the first time.
Emerging onto the domestic scene is right-hand top-order batter Mike Sclanders, who made his List-A debut for Auckland during the 2022-23 season, having previously played both List-A and first-class cricket in South Africa.
Northern Districts welcome three newly contracted players to their list, including allrounders Josh Brown and Fergus Lellman and wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Pomare.
While new to the Northern Districts contract list, all three are familiar faces to the region having all made their first-class debut for Northern Districts in the final match of the 2021-22 season.
Lellman and Pomare are also former New Zealand under-19 representatives, having both featured at the 2020 ICC Under-19 World Cup in South Africa.
Another former New Zealand under-19 international earning his first domestic contract was fast bowler Matt Rowe, who has been offered a domestic contract by Canterbury for the 2024-25 season.
Rowe, who has progressed through the Central Districts pathway, starred for New Zealand at last years’ ICC Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, claiming New Zealand’s third-best ever bowling figures at a World Cup – his 5-21 against Afghanistan bettered only by Tim Southee and Trent Boult.
In the South, Jamal Todd has earned his first domestic contract after impressing during the 2023-24 season for the Otago Volts.
The left-hand top-order batsman featured in seven of the Volts’ eight Plunket Shield matches last summer and also earned a Super Smash debut against Central Districts in January.
Auckland, Northern Districts, Canterbury and Otago all announced 15 players on Tuesday, while Central Districts and Wellington named 13. The six major associations will name their second round of contracted players on August 1.
MAJOR ASSOCIATION CONTRACTS
NORTHERN DISTRICTS
Josh Brown, Joe Carter, Katene Clarke, Kristian Clarke, Henry Cooper, Matthew Fisher, Brett Hampton, Scott Johnston, Fergus Lellman, Robbie O'Donnell, Ben Pomare, Bharat Popli, Jeet Raval, Neil Wagner, Freddy Walker
AUCKLAND
Adi Ashok, Louis Delport, Danru Ferns, Cam Fletcher, Matt Gibson, Bevon-John Jacobs, Harjot Johal, Simon Keene, Ben Lister, Jock McKenzie, Will O’Donnell, Mike Sclanders, Sean Solia, Quinn Sunde, George Worker
CENTRAL DISTRICTS
Jack Boyle, Doug Bracewell, Tom Bruce, Will Clark, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Joey Field, Curtis Heaphy, Jayden Lennox, Brett Randell, Brad Schmulian, Blair Tickner, Ray Toole
WELLINGTON
Liam Dudding, Nick Greenwood, James Hartshorn, Troy Johnson, Nick Kelly, Callum McLachlan, Iain McPeake, Tim Robinson, Gareth Severin, Michael Snedden, Nathan Smith, Peter Younghusband, Logan van Beek
CANTERBURY
Chad Bowes, Matt Boyle, Sean Davey, Zak Foulkes, Mitch Hay, Rhys Mariu, Kenny McClure, Cole McConchie, Angus McKenzie, Edward Nuttall, Michael Rae, Michael Rippon, Matt Rowe, Fraser Sheat, Henry Shipley
OTAGO
Matt Bacon, Leo Carter, Max Chu, Jacob Cumming, Dean Foxcroft, Luke Georgeson, Jake Gibson, Andrew Hazeldine, Llew Johnson, Ben Lockrose, Jarrod McKay, Travis Muller, Thorn Parkes, Dale Phillips, Jamal Todd