The Devon Hotel Central Stags are the only side all season to have beaten New Zealand’s 2015/16 Plunket Shield champions, the Mondiale Auckland Aces.
Multimedia match report
The Aces finished with a tense four-wicket loss away to the Stags in Napier, after which the Aces' captain Michael Bates announced his retirement.
Video scorecard
Aces wicketkeeper Brad Cachopa ensured his team would have at least one thing to celebrate from the last day at McLean Park, however, as he first equalled, and then claimed outright, Derek de Boorder's record for most dismissals in a Plunket Shield season, which had previously stood at 44.
His stumping of Will Young saw him go one better. His legspinning teammate Tarun Nethula meanwhile went past 200 first-class wickets in the Stags' final innings.
He's a keeper: Brad Cachopa. PHOTOSPORT
For the Stags, offspinner Ajaz Patel finished with the honour of being the season's top first-class wicket-taker with 43 victims at 33.69, and this having played only eight of the 10 rounds.
Star turn: Ajaz Patel
The Aces' Tarun Nethula was next best with 39.
It proved a season of remarkable star turns and statistics, with Wellington Firebirds captain Michael Papps becoming the first man to score 10,000 career runs from New Zealand domestic cricket alone.
In the same game, Canterbury captain had earlier become only the 25th New Zealander to reach 10,000 first-class runs overall.
SKYCITY Northern Knight Bharat Popli was the top run scorer of the Plunket Shield after a breakthrough season that netted him 1,149 runs at an average of 67.58. Stags opening batsman Ben Smith added to his season tally today to finish next highest with 917 runs at 61.13.
Bharat Popli
Remarkably Mondiale Auckland Aces opener Jeet Raval also topped 1000 runs for the summer (including matches against Sri Lanka A for New Zealand A) while young Canterbury wicketkeeper Cameron Fletcher broke the Canterbury record for most dismissals in a season.
