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There was big news coming from the Central Hinds camp, former Wellington Blaze allrounder Thamsyn Newton putting pen to paper for her native region.
Newton boasts an impressive 25 internationals for the White Ferns, 107 List A fixtures, 115 T20s and 5 Super Smash and 2 HBJ titles with Wellington and Canterbury from 2011–2023.
The Paraparaumu-born batter has earned the reputation of an aggressive top order hitter with a strong arm in the field. While she’s been short on overs as of late, Newton is always a good pace option in the bowling line up for variety.
Newton spoke to Central Districts on the new chapter in her life after relocating to Hawke’s Bay after her time in Wellington.
“My partner is based in Waimārama so I was already spending a lot of time in Hawke’s Bay over the winters — and with [Hinds’] new, centralised training hub opening at Mitre 10 Park in Hastings, it made the thoughts of a full-time move here even more attractive.
“CD had indicated they were interested in talking to me, so we took it from there.
“I really enjoyed my years at Wellington, and I’ll always be thankful for the opportunities I had with the Blaze and the resources Cricket Wellington invested in the team, but my circumstances have just changed, and I guess the new opportunities here in CD just helped make the decision easier.”
CD Manager Dave Meiring spoke on Newton’s arrival to the Hinds squad.
“Thamsyn’s record at domestic level speaks for itself, and we feel we can support her desires to once again represent the White Ferns,” said Meiring.
“She also has the perfect skill-set to complement the younger players we have coming through in CD — and we know that Thamsyn’s experience at domestic and international level will help lift the overall standards within our group.”
Aniela Apperley was on the verge of a debut on her maiden call up last season had the rain not effected the selected fixtures. Her cricketing career started as a schoolgirl at Havelock North where Apperley notched up 79 runs and took 4 wickets from 5 innings.
Apperley has played for Hinds’ U19 side since 2021, taking 22 wickets across 3 seasons in the age-group comps. She has also featured in the Indoor Cricket World Cup for New Zealand where they clinched the crown in a 1 run win in the Women’s U22 Final.
Meiring emphasised the focus on young domestic talent circulating currently.
“The future is looking bright. It’s clear that we have decided to invest in our youth and we’re confident that these are the players who will take the Hinds into a strong future.”
Bowling allrounder Flora Devonshire earns her first contract after efforts in the U19 World Cup and the Hinds U19 unit. A rare skill set in the domestic game, Devonshire gives Hinds some much needed variety in all departments of the game.
Devonshire’s first spell in the Super Smash went for a cool 20 runs from 4 overs, key in applying pressure to the reigning champions Wellington. It was a clear sign of things to come from the left arm spinner.
Since then she was awarded a permanent place in all 10 T20s, finishing the tournament with 3 wickets and a best of 2–20. She also saw 6 outings in the HBJ Shield toward the back-end of the season, claiming 4 wickets with a best of 2–20 coming versus Wellington in the Hinds’ final game.
Emma McLeod was on the plane to South Africa for the U19 World Cup where it was clear the youngster had talent beyond her years. She had a stellar season with the Central Hinds ‘A’ and U19 setup, allowing her to make appearances in the senior side toward the back end of the season.
McLeod started the season in the ‘A’ programme, taking 3–8 (1.3) and adding 50* (46) to the Hinds tally to win their 2nd T20 versus the Northern Districts equivalent side. She finished 1st in the run-scoring charts in the mixed-format U19 National Tournament for the Hinds with 322 runs with scores of 73* (65), 63 (70) and 100* (98) in the 50-over leg of the series.
Her performances in the pathways set up saw her earn a place in the NZ U19 World Cup squad.
McLeod featured in New Zealand U19’s first 2 group stage games though was left out of bowling plans and missed the opportunity to bat given the strength of the Ferns’ top order. Her time would come at the top as injuries plagued the team, scoring a Player of the Match knock of 59 (39). She followed that up with an innings of 32 (18) against Pakistan.
The Masterton born batter was given Hinds senior debut last year after her time with New Zealand, coming versus Canterbury where she was able to carry on her golden form and pull up her first top-level 50+ score (53 off 71).
Georgia Atkinson had a transformational season that saw her career reach new heights. After the Hinds were in a scramble for the perfect batting order, Atkinson saw a more permanent role at the top alongside Nat Dodd.
She saw her first 50 in T20s coming vs Wellington before her demise after a mistimed sweep — a common denominator for dismissals in her batting. Atkinson was squeezed out of the bowling plans after an overload of variety came into the Hinds attack.
Over the off-season she was one of 3 Kiwis to head to Ireland’s Super Series, where she’s been able to bat freely and utilise her looping legspin. In the 50 over segment she’s sitting 2nd in the wickets behind former Auckland bowler Arlene Kelly with 6 wickets from 2 games, seeing two 3fers in the tournament so far.
Her best of 3–10 from 4.4 overs came vs the Scorchers, a game where she also scored a run-a-ball 71* (breaking her previous List A best score of 58).
Legspinner Ocean Bartlett made her first senior Hinds outing back in the 2020/21 season in the Super Smash, though didn’t bat or bowl. Bartlett captained the NZ Development XI that toured India in late 2022, but only picked up 21 runs and 2 wickets across 4 fixtures. She couldn’t bring big returns in the Super Smash either, just the one wicket across 8 games for the leggie.
Bartlett did see a change in fortunes in the HBJ Shield, making her debut in the List A format with a bang. A 3-wicket haul in her first game, she removed Northern’s top scorers Eve Wolland and Carol Agafili allowing the Hinds to manufacture a 6-wicket win.
Her best performance would come in the following game, going one-better with figures of 4–60 versus Canterbury. While that would be the end of her wicket-taking run, Bartlett still had more to offer with the bat. Coming in at 8, she saw her side over the line with a knock of 27* (37) for a 3 wicket win.
She won the Hinds’ award for emerging player of the year for her efforts in the senior side.
Last season saw captain Nat Dodd amplify her game, presenting a new approach in her batting at the top.
A career best 327 runs in the Super Smash, the Hinds’ keeper finished 3rd in the tournament runs. Known for her slow scoring rate, 2022/23 saw the change in her play. Striking at 105.82 and an average of 36.33, Dodd was key in a batting order that couldn’t get going.
She also had a fine HBJ Shield run with 316 runs from 9 innings, though arguably more impressive returns with the gloves in hand, 10 catches and 3 stumpings to round off her fine yet.
A change from last year’s list is Kate Gaging, who has been waiting in the wings for some time. After earning her first contract back in 2021/22, Gaging missed out on the 13 last season. She was given just the 1 T20 last year where she scored 17 runs.
Claudia Green proved a key bowler last season, with pacers Mair and Rowe falling short. Nelson based swing bowler saw her efforts recognised by her colleagues after she was awarded Players’ player of the year for the second time in 2 years.
The 2022/23 season saw her pick up 9 wickets in the Super Smash striking at 17.88, a tournament in which she also introduced her updated, dangerous slower ball. Her best outing with the ball came versus Northern Brave where she dismissed 3 middle order batters for just 23 runs.
It was a quiet HBJ Shield for Green, 6 wickets to come of it. She did see her List A best score of 18 coming off 22 in a last ditch effort for some runs for the Hinds, eventually going in vain with a 123 run loss.
Mikaela Greig’s role switched last season, with her focussing primarily on her batting and leaving out her part-time offspin. A handy fielder in the deep, it was perhaps the only key feature of her T20 campaign. With just 83 runs from 9 innings, Greig couldn’t quite reach levels similar to her previous 182-run showcase in the year prior.
On the contrary, Greig found her feet in the HBJ Shield. An impressive follow-up to her previous List A season, she picked up 143 runs from 7 innings with an average of 20.42 hovering at the top of the order. Greig saw her best score of 56 (72) vs Canterbury.
Melissa Hansen saw few games in the 2022/23 season, with chances to bowl being limited in the stacked Hinds T20 bowling unit. Her outing in the HBJ Shield was key however, 11 scalps from 8 games and 92 runs from 5 innings in the tail.
Ashtuti Kumar toured India with Ocean Bartlett in the NZ Development XI. She saw 32 runs from 4 innings and 1 wickets in the 5 match T20 series. Kumar was given a solitary over in the 1 Super Smash fixture she was selected for, conceding 7 runs for 1 wicket.
She saw her best 50-over score of 47* (43) in the HBJ Shield, with 84 runs and 4 wickets across the tournament.
Kerry Tomlinson is the final name on the list after some key performances with the bat in a lacklustre Super Smash and HBJ Shield run for the Hinds. Notching up 124 runs from 6 innings, Tomlinson was key at 4 in the order toward the back end of the T20 season.
Tomlinson had similar returns in the Shield, 117 runs from 5 innings with a best of 61 (103) versus Northern Districts. A quiet but consistent season for the top order batter, Hinds will be looking for her to bring calm in times of stress.
Opening batter Cate Pedersen was a member of the contract list last season but has since relocated to Auckland for studies and was named as a part of the Hearts ‘A’ programme for this year.
Young quick Monique Rees also appeared on the 2022/23 list, but departs the Hinds in a move to the Wellington Blaze alongside former CD wicketkeeper batter Gemma Sims.
Power hitting allrounder Jess Watkin announced her departure from the Hinds in a change of scenery to the Northern Districts after 9 years at CD, debuting when she was a 15-year-old Whanganui schoolgirl in 2013. She leaves the club after 1205 runs and 54 wickets from 72 T20s and 2073 runs with 107 wickets from 85 List A fixtures.
Those who have missed out on a contract will still be in the Central Districts frame in pathway and Central Hinds ‘A’ programmes plus remain eligible for selection.
Hannah Rowe and Rosemary Mair are contracted to the White Ferns but will be available for the Hinds when they come off international duty.
Central Hinds 2023/24 Contract List:
Aniela Apperley, Georgia Atkinson, Ocean Bartlett, Flora Devonshire, Nat Dodd, Kate Gaging, Claudia Green, Mikaela Greig, Melissa Hansen, Ashtuti Kumar, Emma McLeod, Thamsyn Newton, Kerry Tomlinson.
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