The last spot in the Central Stags contracted players' group has been filled, concluding the annual men's contracting process for the coming 2026/27 season.

Right-arm spinning allrounder Angus Schaw has been recontracted to complete the 16-strong list, Schaw having repped the team across all formats since his 2023 Domestic debut.

The completion of the professional roster means the only new faces on the Central list remain young batter Sam Cassidy and experienced, ex-Otago allrounder Jake Gibson.

Schaw's signature maintains a squadron of four off-spinners in the top echelon of players, alongside left-armers Ajaz Patel and Jayden Lennox; and fellow right-arm spinning allrounder Dean Foxcroft.

 

 

The latter trio are all capped BLACKCAPS. Roll in batter Brad Schmulian''s wicket-taking leg-spin and there continues to be no shortage of quality slow-bowling options for Central.

With a dry El Niño summer forecast, spinners could play a key role in results, particularly in the four-day Plunket Shield championship in which the Stags placed third last season. 

The last time New Zealand experienced an El Niño of equivalent strength, Northern Districts batter Bharat Popli cracked 1,000 first-class runs in a Plunket Shield season - a rare feat; and the Stags maestro Patel took a phenomenal 43 first-class wickets as he bashed down the door to the BLACKCAPS.

 

 

The off-season process is conducted across two rounds, in order to provide MAs and uncontracted players with the opportunity to 'shop around' ahead of the second round, should they choose.

Major Associations are also able to select their contracted BLACKCAPS during the season whenever those players are not on international duty, and they can also pick any uncontracted players in their region - some of whom will typically train regularly alongside the contracted squad in a wider group.

The new season's men’s and women’s Domestic fixtures and the Central Hinds contracted group will be announced in the coming weeks, along with the appointment of the Central Stags Head Coach for the new summer.

 

 

A number of Hinds and Stags are meanwhile currently playing league cricket in England, Irelandd or The Netherlands, while Lennox, Foxcroft and Young are in Barbados, having all contributed to a BLACKCAPS ODI Series win against the West Indies, with a match still to play.

The tour has seen 31-year-old Lennox turn heads in Game Two with a tenacious 5/19 in a comprehensive win in Guyana. 

 

 

That was just his seventh ODI start, but the haul constituted New Zealand's 11th best all-time figures in men's ODI cricket - and third best by any New Zealand spinner.

Lennox backed in up next match with another haul of four wickets to help the BLACKCAPS go to a 1-2 lead in the five-match series, before heading to Barbados and picking up another couple of wickets to break the BLACKCAPS ODI record for most wickets by a spin bowler in any bilateral series.

 

FURTHER READING: ROUND ONE STAGS CONTRACTS

2026/27 Central Stags Contracts

 

Taylor Bettelheim - Hawke’s Bay

Tom Bruce - Taranaki

Sam Cassidy* - Hawke’s Bay

Josh Clarkson - Nelson

Dane Cleaver - Manawatū

Joey Field - Hawke’s Bay

Toby Findlay - Hawke’s Bay

Dean Foxcroft - Hawke’s Bay

Jake Gibson* - District TBC

Curtis Heaphy - Manawatū

Jayden Lennox - Hawke’s Bay

Ajaz Patel - Hawke’s Bay

Brett Randell - Nelson

Angus Schaw - Hawke's Bay

Brad Schmulian - Hawke’s Bay

Ray Toole - Manawatū

 

Contracted BLACKCAPS

Blair Tickner - Hawke’s Bay

Will Young - Taranaki

 

*First Central Stags contract