After having resisted three Hawke Cup challenges last summer, Taranaki faces a big mission this weekend as fellow Zone 2 District and arch rival Hawke's Bay attempts to win back the historic silverware. 

The action will take place at Pukekura Park, New Plymouth from 10.30am this Friday over the course of three days, after Hawke's Bay won the 2025/26 Furlong Cup in Wairarapa at the weekend.

The winner of the annual Furlong Cup (two-day cricket) gets to make the three-day Zone 2 Challenge, unless it's the current holder in which case the runner-up gets to challenge.

Taranaki finished third in this season's Furlong Cup contest, and it was Hawke's Bay who lost the Hawke Cup to Taranaki in Napier in January last year to kick-start Taranaki's four-match tenure.

The Bay has a host of Central Stags back for the game, now that the Stags are out of the concurrent Super Smash Finals.

Skipper Angus Schaw, Toby Findlay, Sam Cassidy, Jayden Lennox and (returning from illness) Will Clark are all in the squad, alongside contracted Stag Brad Schmulian, Taylor Bettelheim and Bayley Wiggins.

Regular Hawke's Bay captain Dominic Thompson is unavailable.

Will Young will also get to play alongside his Taranaki wicketkeeper-batter brother Rupert for the first time in a Hawke Cup Challenge Match, while Tom Bruce is unavailable for Taranaki as he is heading off to the T20 World Cup in India for Scotland on Monday.

Will Young supporting Taranaki last season | MBUTCHER

The holders have since been through some personnel changes, all-time leading runscorer Dean Robinson notably retiring at the end of the last Hawke Cup match last season, and pace bowler Jordy Gard the side's new captain this season.

The precious antique silverware they have in their possession is more than a century old, and holds a special place in New Zealand cricket lore as the ultimate symbol of men's inter-provincial cricket supremacy.

Matches are traditionally old-school wars of attrition, in which players give no quarter in the quest to either win outright or avoid conceding the first innings.

Being in a winning Hawke Cup side is a badge of honour.

Hawke's Bay is also expected to name Stags in their squad

After the forthcoming opening three-dayer between Taranaki and Hawke's Bay, the second Challenge of the season will be at the winner's home ground - so, either Pukekura Park or Napier's Nelson Park - against the Zone 1 winner from the Northern Districts catchment, from 13 to 15 February 2026.

Then it's Zone 3's turn (27 February-1 March), Rangiora-based Canterbury Country having qualified to make the Challenge.

Canterbury Country and Nelson were clear on the ladder ahead of the third round of their Zone 3 Qualifying Competition so, as they were set to play each other anyway, it was mutually agreed that the third round would be substituted for the scheduled Zone 3 Final. 

However, the match was washed out by the weekend's drenching, putting Canterbury Country through on points (please note that the ladder is manually adjusted; and this is not reflected online on NZC PlayHQ).

The final Challenge match of the season will be made by Zone 4's qualifier from the foot of the country, from 13-15 March 2026. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HAWKE CUP

HAWKE CUP

2025/26

Zone 2 Challenge Match

Taranaki (holder) v Hawke's Bay (challenger)

10.30am, 30 January - 1 February 2026

Pukekura Park, New Plymouth

TARANAKI SQUAD:

Jordan Gard (captain), Josh Borrell, Liam Carr, Ben Frewin, Jacob Leuthard-Richards, Trent McGrath, Davis Mills, Liam Muggeridge, Callum Stuart, Bailey Wisnewski, Rupert Young (wicketkeeper), Will Young

HAWKE'S BAY SQUAD:

Angus Schaw (captain), Taylor Bettelheim, Sam Cassidy, Will Clark, Toby Findlay, Jayden Lennox, Liam McCarthy, Charlie Robson, Brad Schmulian, Todd Watson, Bayley Wiggins (wicketkeeper), Thomas Zohrab

Article added: Thursday 29 January 2026