Recent Mahi
Super Smash cricket, Wellington Phoenix, Chris Wood's knee, Steven Adams, NZ Breakers, Warriors NRL hot pockets, and more
Scotty’s Word
Wellington host Auckland today in Super Smash so I will steer clear of those two teams. Central Districts men had a win vs Wellington and the funkiest thing from that game was CD’s trio of spinners...
Angus Schaw: 4ov, 3w @ 4.5rpo
Jayden Lennox: 2.5ov, 1w @ 9.5rpo
Ajaz Patel: 4ov, 4w @ 5.2rpo
All three have fabulous T20 mahi...
Angus Schaw: 17.65avg/7.5rpo
Jayden Lennox: 18avg/7.2rpo
Ajaz Patel: 23.48avg/7.5rpo
CD women lost to Wellington and Flora Devonshire didn’t take a wicket (3ov @ 6.3rpo) but she was their best batter with 34 runs @ 121sr. Devonshire and Canterbury’s Izzy Sharp are the two best young batters who score quickly in Aotearoa, with Sharp banging 65* @ 138sr in Canterbury’s loss vs Otago.
Sharp has been in better form as the pure batter while Devonshire bats slightly lower and offers lefty spin. Their T20 career mahi is similar and both are starting their T20 careers with strike-rates over 100...
Izzy Sharp: 14.72avg/110.62sr
Flora Devonshire: 14.45avg/102.35sr
Canterbury’s blokes had a win vs Otago and two youngsters excelled in the second innings. Jamal Todd smacked 53 runs @ 220.8sr for Otago in the opening slot and Cameron Paul took 3w @ 8rpo to finish as Canterbury’s leading wicket-taker in the game. Both lads are 21-years-old and have different wrinkles of funk...
Todd has a T20 batting record of 26.2avg/155.2sr. This is his best format but he still averages 20+ with 50+ scores in all formats and he was the only batter in this game who had a strike-rate over 160.
Paul played his first Super Smash game and is currently averaging below 22 in all three formats. He scored 91 runs for the NZ 11 vs West Indies a few weeks ago as well and given the Canterbury production line which features the Darfield hub (led by Zak Foulkes), you should be following Paul closely as he will probably be a 1st 11 player throughout Super Smash.
Below is a mix of my first two Super Smash Scout notebooks prior to the Wellington vs Auckland game day...
Lachlan Stackpole (20yrs) is the only batter in Plunket Shield with a strike-rate over 100 (282 runs @ 106.4sr) and started SS with 46 runs @ 200sr.
Stackpole has hit the most sixes in PS with 18 and Bevon Jacobs is second with 10.
Stackpole has a T20 strike-rate of 148.6 after seven innings.
Jacobs started SS with 55 runs @ 117.4sr and is 23yrs with...
FC: 53.2avg/66.4sr
LA: 25.3avg/100.2sr
T20: 30.3avg/141.4sr
Jacobs, Stackpole and Simon Keene (24yrs) all have a PS century this season.
Matthew Fisher’s recent wicket tallies: 1, 1 (Test), 4, 0, 6, 1 (NZ-A), 1 (SS).
T20 bowling is Fisher’s worst pocket...
FC: 22.2avg/3.6rpo
LA: 26.6avg/5.6rpo
T20: 41.5avg/9.5rpo
Tim Pringle (23yrs) is second for PS wickets (19w @ 25.5avg/2.5rpo) and has a T20I record of 25.1avg/6.4rpo for Netherlands.
Pringle has taken 2+ wickets in six of his last nine innings.
Marama Downes (23yrs) was the only wicket-taker in the women’s game and she has a T20 bowling record of 16.8avg/5.4rpo.
Best ND/Auckland players in HBJ Shield...
Caitlin Gurrey: 310 runs @ 51.6avg/80sr
Prue Catton: 195 runs @ 39avg/78sr
Brooke Halliday: 170 runs @ 56.6avg/67sr
Kayley Knight: 13w @ 11.6avg/3.6rpo
Nensi Patel: 10w @ 17.5avg/3.9rpo
Highest kiwi wahine batting strike-rates (20+ runs)
Georgia Plimmer: 134.48
Flora Devonshire: 121.42
Jodie Dean: 113.33
Lowest kiwi wahine economy rates (1+ wicket)
Emma Black: 4.75
Claudia Green: 5
Jess Kerr: 5.25
Izzy Sharp this summer
Scores in last 10 games: 8, 38, 18 39, 25, 67, 58, 0, 33, 65*
HBJ Shield: 195 runs @ 32.5avg/87sr (1x6)
North vs South: 91 runs @ 30.3avg/157sr (5x6)
Super Smash: 65* @ 138sr (2x6)
Jodie Dean this summer
Scores in last 10 games: 26, 27, 48, 0, 7, 18, 16, 24, 34
HBJ Shield: 126 runs @ 21avg/68sr
North vs South: 40 runs @ 20avg/148sr
Super Smash: 34 runs @ 113sr
Polly Inglis this summer
Scores in last 10 games: 6, 35, 31, 38, 55*, 19, 15, 50, 38, 20*
HBJ Shield: 184 runs @ 36.8avg/88sr
North vs South: 103 runs @ 34.3avg/181sr
Super Smash: 20* @ 105sr
Missy Banks this summer
Wickets in last 10 games: 0, 0, 3, 1, 3, 3, 1, 1, 1, 3
HBJ Shield: 11w @ 18.avg/4rpo
North vs South: 2w @ 34avg/8.5rpo
Super Smash: 2w @ 7.6rpo
Jess Simmons this summer
HBJ Shield: 8w @ 20.7avg/4.7rpo
Super Smash: 2w @ 7.5rpo
Highest blokes batting strike-rates (20+ runs)
Jamal Todd: 220.83
Lachlan Stackpole: 200
Tom Blundell: 182.14
Lowest blokes economy rates (1+ wicket)
Angus Schaw: 4.5
Ish Sodhi: 4.5
Ajaz Patel: 5.25
Ben Sears took 3w @ 8.5rpo in his return to cricket. He has a T20I average of 24.73 and T20 average of 21.67.
Dane Cleaver averages 25+ in all three formats with a century in each format and 5+ fifties in each format.
Muhammad Abbas’ recent scores: 25, 0, 66, 40, 47, 61, 36
Tom Blundell’s recent scores: 2, 9, 25, 64*, 77, 3, 3, 42, 20*, 29, 4, 51
Tom Latham in domestic cricket this season...
Ford Trophy: 204 runs @ 102avg/91sr
Plunket Shield: 75 runs @ 37.5avg/50sr
Super Smash: 75 runs @ 156sr
Cameron Paul is 21yrs averaging below 22 in all three formats...
FC: 21.78
LA: 14.8
T20: 10.66
Jamal Todd is 21yrs averaging 20+ in all three formats and has a 50+ score in each format but T20s are his best format with 26.22avg/155sr.
Glenn Phillips’ wickets this season: 2, 4, 2, 2, 1, 0, 1, 2
Luke Georgeson’s recent mahi...
Scores: 32, 0, 2, 40, 14, 59*, 44*, 74, 49*, 80, 23*
Wickets: 0, 0, 1, 0, 2, 0, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 3, 1
Georgeson in T20s: 20.63avg/125sr | 24.41avg/8.8rpo
Max Chu this summer
Ford Trophy: 139 runs @ 34.7avg/77sr
Plunket Shield: 290 runs @ 48.3avg/62sr
Super Smash: 38 runs @ 131sr
I have a few more Blackcaps things beyond the paywall as the ODI and T20I squads to tour India were named last week. I also have some NZ Warriors hot pockets left over from the recent deep dives...
New Zealand Warriors NRL-ish Depth Chart For The 2025/26 Summer
Exploring The Depths Of The 2026 New Zealand Warriors Top-50ish
2025/26 Kiwi-NRL Train & Trial Breakdown
Musical jam...
Nick’s Notebook
Bev Priestman told media prior to Christmas that her Wellington Phoenix team would be making two more additions to the squad before the end of the month. One a midfielder, one a forward. Both are injury replacements for the season-enders suffered by Alyssa Whinham and Tessel Middag – the latter meaning that they’re allowed to use an import spot for one of them. That’ll be the forward, because news arrived this morning that Emma Pijnenburg has joined on a permanent deal from Feyenoord.
I’m never a massive fan of kiwi players returning to the A-Leagues, particularly on the women’s side at a time when we don’t have a whole lot of top tier pros (now even less than a few months ago after Anna Leat, CJ Bott, Vic Esson, and Emma Pijnenburg have all settled in). But players have to make the calls that suits them both professionally and personally – the problem is not players have recently left, it’s that nobody’s replaced them. Anyway.
With Pijnenburg, she went to Europe super early after coming through at Western Springs. She was 18 when she joined the Feyenoord academy and now she’s 21 having made 28 appearances for their first team, most of those in the Eredivisie. Only 145 minutes this season but she has started to be used much more in her preferred midfield role so it’s not like she’d hit a wall over there... however, there’s little doubt she’ll have a more prominent spot with the Nix. Maybe not a starting spot because that Grace Jale/CJ Bott midfield is going alright but more than the occasionally five minute cameo for sure.
The other thing about EP is that she’s also broken into the Football Ferns squad over the past year, earning seven caps since her debut vs Costa Rica in February (only seven Ferns played more games in 2025 – albeit all of EP’s were as a substitute). Gotta be playing to stay in that mix.
Hence it’s unfolded that she’s been granted an early release from a contract that was only due to last until the end of this current European season. Based on Pijnenburg’s quotes, the Nix made the first move and she responded enthusiastically (perhaps not seeing a pathway into the first eleven at Feyenoord). Pijnenburg will definitely add some more guile to the Nix’s play with her incisive passing - that’s something they don’t really have from other options in those positions.
2024 Women’s U20 World Cup Squad
Player (Club In Sep 2024) – Current Club
Zoe Benson (Eastern Suburbs AFC) – Wellington Phoenix
Daisy Brazendale (Wellington Phoenix) – Wellington Phoenix
Rebekah Trewhitt (Wellington Phoenix) – Lewes FC, England
Olivia Ingham (Wellington Phoenix) - Wellington Phoenix
Milly Clegg (Racing Louisville, USA)- Racing Louisville, USA
Maddie Iro (High Point University, USA) – DePaul University, USA
Ruby Nathan (Canberra United) – Eastern Suburbs
Helena Errington (Unattached) – Sporting Club Jacksonville, USA
Suya Haering (Turbine Potsdam, Germany) – Carl Zeiss Jena, Germany
Lara Colpi (BSC Young Boys, Switzerland) – FC Thun, Switzerland
Manaia Elliott (Wellington Phoenix) - Wellington Phoenix
Ella McCann (Wellington Phoenix) - Wellington Phoenix
Ella McMillan (Wellington Phoenix) - Wellington Phoenix
Kiara Bercelli (Sampdoria, Italy) – Auckland United
Aimee Danieli (Wellington Phoenix) - Wellington Phoenix
Olivia Page (Sheffield United, England) – Newcastle Jets
Marie Green (Wellington Phoenix) - Petone
Amber Bennett (Cashmere Technical) – Cashmere Technical
Emma Pijnenburg (Feyenoord Rotterdam) – Wellington Phoenix
Zoe McMeeken (Wellington Phoenix) – Melbourne Victory
Ella Findlay (Western Springs) – Eastern Suburbs
Loooots of Wellington Phoenix mentions in all that. That club currently has claimed an enormous responsibility developing our next wave of women’s footballers so it’d sure be cool if they made the top six this season. This U20WC was only last year so can’t get upset about there not being more established overseas pros from this bunch yet – the A-League is a proven platform for getting players into those environments. Even for someone like Pijnenburg, there’s plenty of time for her to go have another crack in Europe if she wants to. Couple good years at the Nix then see what happens.
I’m not gonna do a Flying Kiwis yarn tomorrow because at this time of the year there’s only about six players worth mentioning and they’re playing every couple of days (the ones in England, anyway). We’ll let it slide until next week and then catch everything up then. No need to dwell on Tyler Bindon scoring an own goal and conceding a penalty in the same game as Sheffield United lost 5-3 against Wrexham (aside from the fact that Libby Cacace made it back to the bench for Wrexham, although they didn’t use him). Moses Dyer scored a brace for Phnom Penh Crown to keep up his good form. Ollie Whyte is returning to FC Haka after they got relegated and had their main stand burnt down. And Chris Wood had knee surgery. Sounds like it was only a bit of a clean-up and he shouldn’t be out too much longer but that there has been some overreaction so better get that bit out in the open right away...
Nearing on ten weeks since the last time we saw Chris Wood on a football pitch, he’s had to go under the knife. Following a spell of what his coach Sean Dyche repeatedly referred to as a “settling down period” it would appear that his knee injury refused to settle on its own so it’s been given some help. Okay, so the wait to see The Woodsman scoring goals again will extend a little longer... but just how much longer is the question. Seems like a lot of fans and media (kiwi media in particular) saw the image of Chris Wood doing a thumbs-up in a hospital bed and jumped to worst-case scenarios about “lengthy sideline spells” and “battling to make FIFA World Cup” but the damage doesn’t appear to have been as serious as that.
Wood’s message included this bit referring to his prospective return...
“Truly gutting and frustrating that I’ll be on the sideline for another period of time. It’s what’s needed to come back stronger and better to help my teammates do the job needed in the Prem and in Europe.”
For starters, that strongly hints that he expects to be playing again this season and, given the European reference, not just right at the end either. That’s something that’s backed up by Sean Dyche talking it hopefully only being weeks before he’s available again. These quotes came after Nottingham Forest’s 2-1 defeat against Manchester City, a match which Wood attended (albeit with a knee brace and crutches) mere days after going under the knife. Sounds like this was a clean-up operation and shouldn’t need any extensive recovery.
Sean Dyche: “Woody, yeah, he’s had an operation. At the end of a period of trying to settle it down, which is unfortunate but we had a lot of specialist opinion on trying to get it through naturally. They’ve decided that it’s it’s time to go and do it. It’s a sort of cartilage operation. We’re not sure [how much longer he’ll be out]. It certainly won’t be days obviously. We’re hoping for weeks. We’ll have to wait and see how that settles, but the signs were good from the surgical point of view. We’ll see. I don’t like throwing timeframes about. We’re hoping it’s a smooth pathway. It sometimes isn’t. So, we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Houston Rockets With Kevin Durant & Steven Adams On The Court Together
Outscored opponents by 135 points in 370 minutes
Team shoots 49.4% from the field and 40.3% from threes
Offensive Rating of 121.3, Defensive Rating of 104.7
Net Rating of +16.5, most of any Rockets duo with at least 220 mins
Second on that Net Rating list (min 220 minutes) is Adams & Amen Thompson, third is Adams and Jabari Smith, fourth is Adams and Reed Sheppard
Kevin Durant scores 41 points per 100 possessions with Adams on the floor and only 31 pts/100poss without him
Last season it was Adams and Sengun, that pair has still been good though it’s not the novelty it once was. No worries there because now defences are having to find ways to stomach KD’s refined ability to find effective shots around the screens and rebounds of his fishing buddy Steve-o and that’s proving just as devastating as dealing with the Double Bigs.
Musical Jam...
