Sports08 March, 20262 min read
Brett Randell Takes Five Wickets In Five Balls, First In 254-Year First-Class Cricket
First bowler in 254-year first-class history to take five wickets in five consecutive deliveries Occurred for Central Districts against Northern Districts in Plunket Shield at Napier's McLean Park
Historic bowling milestone
Brett Randell produced a historic bowling spell on March 8, 2026. He became the first player in first-class cricket to take five wickets in five successive deliveries.
“Brett Randell became the first player in the 254-year history of first-class cricket to take five wickets in five successive deliveries on Sunday (March 8, 2026).”
The feat occurred on day two of the Plunket Shield match at Napier's McLean Park, where Randell was playing for Central Districts against Northern Districts. Multiple reports record the milestone as unprecedented in the long history of first-class cricket.
Rapid sequence of dismissals
The sequence of dismissals that created the record was vivid and rapid. Randell cleaned up the top order. He bowled Henry Cooper with the last ball of his second over.
He removed Jeet Raval with the first ball of his next over. He grabbed Joe Carter (caught behind). He grabbed Robbie/Robert O’Donnell (caught in the slips).
He then bowled Kristian Clarke as the fifth consecutive victim. Match accounts give ball-by-ball detail of each dismissal and the order in which the wickets fell.
Randell's bowling figures
Randell's final figures underline the impact of the burst: he finished with career-best figures of 7-25 as Northern Districts were all out for 82, replying to Central Districts' 373.
“Randell finished with career-best figures of 7-25 as Northern Districts were bowled out for 82 in reply to Central Districts27 373.”
Multiple outlets noted the 30-year-old's previous first-class best was 6-45, and several reports recorded that he took six wickets in eight balls during the same sequence.
Five-in-five historical context
Outlets emphasised the feat's historical significance, citing records from the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians and long-running first-class records to show the rarity of five wickets in five balls at the first-class level. Commentators compared Randell's five-in-five to Curtis Campher's five-in-five in a domestic T20 last year, which remained the only similar professional instance prior to Randell's effort. Several articles framed the achievement as unique in first-class history stretching back to the first recognised matches in 1772.
Match details and reactions
Reporters recorded that Ben Pomare denied a sixth consecutive wicket. They noted the spell reduced Northern Districts to 9-5 at one point. Reporters also recorded Randell reacting with amazement after the effort.
“His figures at that point read 2.4-1-2-5; Ben Pomare then denied a sixth consecutive wicket. Randell later also became the first to claim six wickets in eight balls, saying afterwards, ‘I'm pretty blown away.’”
Several outlets captured his age (30). Several outlets captured that he plays for Central Districts/Central Stags. Several outlets captured his post-match remark expressing how stunned he was by the performance.
