Tauranga's own Neil Wagner is returning to the creases after being announced as part of the Northern Districts Cricket first 15 men’s players who have been contracted for the 2024-25 season.

Dynamite pace bowler Neil Wagner is a man who needs no introduction, and fans will be delighted to see him back on the ND contract list after he announced his international retirement in February.

Head of Selectors, Pat Malcon, is just as delighted as fans will be.

"In recent seasons for ND, Neil has not just been a red ball bowler, but an effective white ball bowler as well in the Ford Trophy and Super Smash competitions.

"His experience will be invaluable as he supports the development of our young pace bowling attack” he said of Wagner’s return."

High Performance general manager Ian Sandbrook is also chuffed.

“Clearly, we are pleased to have Neil Wagner back on our list. To have one of New Zealand’s greatest test bowlers with over 250 Test match wickets back amongst the group, contributing with his passion and skill but also supporting the development of our promising young quicks, is a real bonus.”

Josh Brown, Fergus Lellman and Ben Pomare have all received their first domestic professional cricket contract. Coincidentally, all three players made their First-Class debut for ND in the final game of the 2021/22 season.

Josh is a right-hand batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler from Hamilton, while Fergus and Ben are both Bay of Plenty players.

Fergus is a right-hand batting all-rounder and Ben comes in as a wicketkeeper and right-hand batsman. All bring skill in both red and white ball cricket.

"Whilst we have added quality and experience to our list, one thing we pride ourselves on at ND is our commitment to nurturing our best young talent.

"Therefore, it’s fantastic that we have been able to offer the likes of Josh, Ben and Fergus their first domestic contracts. Congratulations to these young men who have worked hard and earned this progression, and we look forward to seeing what impact they can make."

After 10 years with the Auckland Aces, batsman Robbie O’Donnell has made the move to ND, and takes his place on the contract list.

"It is with great pleasure that we welcome Robbie O’Donnell to the new ND whānau," says Sandbrook.

"He is a quality batsman and individual who we know will bring a huge amount to our group. He will be an excellent addition and we can’t wait for him to get started with us," he adds. 

Of the players contracted in the previous year, Tim Seifert, Scott Kuggeleijn and Joe Walker have made themselves unavailable for an ND contract for the coming season. 

Seifert and Kuggeleijn have opted for casual contracts this season to allow for franchise opportunities, whilst Joe Walker has also opted to take on a casual contract due to work commitments.

Fans will still see all three players feature for ND this summer and ND selectors and coaching staff are pleased to have been able to offer them this flexibility.

"All three will have casual playing agreements with ND for the season - both Tim and Scott will miss the Super Smash competition but be available for Ford Trophy and Plunket Shield, whilst Joe Walker will be available for all competitions," says Sandbrook.

"This is all part of the changing landscape of cricket globally and all three of these players have been presented with great opportunities and we are pleased that we can continue to support them in their aspirations whilst also being available for ND for the majority of the season."

Other notable omissions include ND’s Super Smash Player of the Year 2023/24 Tim Pringle and right-armer Zak Gibson who don’t feature on the contract list this season due to injuries and surgeries planned over the winter.

The final 16th contract will be announced on Monday, July 29.

The first women’s contract announcement will take place in late August.

Northern Districts Men

First Round Contracted Players 2024-25

*First domestic contract

**Returning to domestic contract list

***First ND contract