NB-W · team desk
Northern Brave Women Team: Squad, Results, Stats & Schedule
Northern Brave Women's complete team hub: the 14-player 2025/26 playing group, all ten league scores and the Eliminator, Nensi Patel and Marama Downes' team-leading totals, Jess Watkin's captaincy, Peter Borren's coaching, Seddon Park and Bay Oval, plus Northern Districts' breakthrough 2025/26 Hallyburton Johnstone Shield championship.
Six district associations across New Zealand's upper North Island
NB-W
2025/26 HBJ Shield champions · first Northern women's national title
- Captain
- Jess Watkin
- Head coach
- Peter Borren
- Home
- Seddon Park
- Founded
- 1999 · Northern Districts women's domestic debut
Team overview
Northern Brave Women at a glance
Northern Brave Women are Northern Districts Cricket's women's T20 side, representing six district associations across the upper North Island. Northern Districts entered national women's domestic cricket in November 1999 and adopted the shared Northern Brave men's and women's T20 identity in 2021.
They finished second in the 2025/26 Women's Super Smash league with five wins, three losses, one no-result after play began, one abandonment, four bonus points and 28 points. Their campaign ended in the Hagley Oval Eliminator when Auckland Hearts chased 139 with two balls remaining.
The summer still became the most successful in programme history. Captain Jess Watkin's Northern Districts beat Wellington Blaze by 67 runs in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield final to secure the association's first national women's title after 26 years in the competition.
Completed · Eliminator2nd · Eliminator
Five league wins and a finals appearance
Northern finished second with five wins, three losses, one no-result, one abandonment and four bonus points. The full campaign below contains 11 outcomes after adding the Eliminator defeat. The 2026/27 domestic squad and fixture list were not published at this update.
Performance leaders
NB-W's Women's Super Smash 2025/26 leaders
NZC's completed Northern Districts Women averages establish the batting, bowling and fielding totals. The all-rounder card is a transparent two-skill comparison, not a separate official award.
Nensi Patel
Nine innings, highest score 57 and one fifty
Caitlin Gurrey
Nine innings, average 24.25 and highest score 64*
Marama Downes
Average 12.00, economy 5.30 and best figures of 4/11
Kayley Knight
Average 19.30, economy 6.15 and best 2/17
Nensi Patel
Team-leading runs with a joint second-highest wicket total
Northern Brave Women
A 105-run home win over Canterbury Magicians
League table5 wins · 3 losses2nd · 28 pts
Most catchesMarina Lamplough7
WicketkeeperHolly Topp5 catches · 6 stumpings
Completed scores
All 11 Northern Brave Women outcomes in Women's Super Smash 2025/26
All ten league fixtures and the Eliminator are listed in order. The rain-shortened opener and the no-play abandonment are kept distinct; the completed T20 record is not mixed with Northern's separate HBJ Shield championship.
| Result | Date | Opponent & venue | Scores | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NR | Match 1 | Auckland HeartsSeddon Park | NB-W No inningsAuckland Hearts 8/1 | No result · rain after 2.2 overs |
| L | Match 2 | Wellington BlazeBay Oval | NB-W 93/9Wellington Blaze 154/5 | Lost by 61 runs |
| W | Match 3 | Otago SparksBay Oval | NB-W 138 all outOtago Sparks 114 all out | Won by 24 runs |
| W | Match 4 | Canterbury MagiciansSeddon Park | NB-W 171/7Canterbury Magicians 66 all out | Won by 105 runs |
| L | Match 5 | Wellington BlazeCello Basin Reserve | NB-W 162/8Wellington Blaze 165/6 | Lost by 3 runs |
| L | Match 6 | Central HindsMcLean Park | NB-W 82 all outCentral Hinds 83/7 | Lost by 3 wickets |
| W | Match 7 | Otago SparksUniversity Oval | NB-W 162/5Otago Sparks 161/6 | Won by 5 wickets |
| NR | Match 8 | Central HindsSeddon Park | NB-W No playCentral Hinds No play | Abandoned without a ball |
| W | Match 9 | Auckland HeartsKennards Hire Community Oval | NB-W 104/9Auckland Hearts 103/4 | Won by 1 wicket |
| W | Match 10 | Canterbury MagiciansHagley Oval | NB-W 151/7Canterbury Magicians 103/8 | Won by 48 runs |
| L | Match Eliminator | Auckland HeartsHagley Oval | NB-W 138 all outAuckland Hearts 139/2 | Lost by 8 wickets |
Completed 2025/26 playing group
Northern Brave Women 2025/26 roster tracker
NZC's first contract round named 12 Northern women and reserved one further domestic contract. The completed season records also show Lucy Boucher and Jennifer Gardner in match squads, so this 14-player tracker transparently represents the full playing group rather than claiming a still-unpublished 2026/27 domestic list. Nensi Patel now holds a separate 2026/27 WHITE FERNS central contract.
Batters
Wicketkeeper-batters
All-Rounders
Bowlers
Competition record
League and season history
This page covers the Northern Brave Women men's IPL identity. Same-brand women's squads are kept separate so player and season statistics are not mixed.
| Season | Finish | Record | Top scorer | Most wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 T20 | 2nd · Eliminator | 5 wins · 3 losses · 2 weather outcomes | Nensi Patel · 203 | Marama Downes · 16 |
| 2025/26 HBJ | Champions | Final won by 67 runs | First national women's title | Marama Downes 3/26 in final |
| 2023/24 | T20 Eliminator | Qualified for finals | Official season archive | Official season archive |
| 2021 | Northern Brave launch | Unified men's and women's T20 brand | Northern Districts continuity | Shared T20 identity |
| 2019/20 HBJ | Runners-up | First one-day final | Northern qualified top | Lost to Auckland Hearts |
| 1999/2000 | Domestic debut | Entered national women's cricket | Northern Districts Women | 26 years before first title |
Team operations
NB-W coaching and support staff
Peter Borren
Northern Brave Women's head coach and a New Zealand A Women assistant coach in May 2026.
Jess Watkin
Led Northern through the 2025/26 Super Smash finals and to the association's first women's one-day title.
Home venue
Seddon Park
Hamilton, New ZealandSeddon Park is Northern's principal home venue and had three Brave women's fixtures scheduled in 2025/26. Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui staged two more. The same regional programme also used Cobham Oval in Whangārei during its title-winning one-day season.
Open the official venue source ↗Team news
Latest NB-W updates
Official NZC updates covering the current central-contract status, New Zealand A recognition and Northern's historic 2025/26 one-day championship.
International contract · 16 Jun 2026
Nensi Patel earns a 2026/27 WHITE FERNS central contract
Read at New Zealand Cricket ↗Pathway · 06 May 2026Four Brave women selected for New Zealand A tour to Sri Lanka
Read at New Zealand Cricket ↗Championship · 21 Feb 2026Northern Districts win their first national women's title
Read at New Zealand Cricket ↗Official destinations
NB-W website and social handles
Use these direct links to avoid fan accounts and lookalike profiles.
Reader questions
Northern Brave Women FAQ
Who captains Northern Brave Women?
Jess Watkin captained Northern in the 2025/26 Super Smash and their historic Hallyburton Johnstone Shield championship.
Who coaches Northern Brave Women?
Former Netherlands captain Peter Borren is Northern Brave Women's head coach.
Is the Northern Brave Women 2026/27 squad final?
No. The 2026/27 domestic contract list and fixture schedule were not published at this update; Nensi Patel's separate WHITE FERNS central contract is confirmed.
Who scored the most Brave women runs in 2025/26?
Nensi Patel led Northern with 203 Women's Super Smash runs.
Who took the most Brave women wickets in 2025/26?
Marama Downes led Northern with 16 wickets at an average of 12 and economy of 5.30.
Who was Northern Brave Women's leading all-rounder?
Nensi Patel combined a team-leading 203 runs with 10 wickets.
Where do Northern Brave Women play home matches?
Seddon Park in Hamilton is the principal venue, with Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui also hosting home fixtures.
Have Northern Brave Women won the Super Smash?
No. They have reached the finals but have not won the national women's T20 title.
What title did Northern Districts Women win in 2025/26?
They beat Wellington Blaze by 67 runs to win the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, Northern's first national women's title.
References
Sources for this team page
Updated 2026-08-09. NZC leads for the completed playing group, table, all 11 outcomes, leaders, captain, coach, venues, title history and current Nensi Patel contract. Direct Instagram and Facebook fetches were throttled, so their exact destinations come from NZC's official directory. The 2026/27 women's domestic contracts and fixtures are still pending.
01
New Zealand Cricket2025/26 first-round contracts and the 12 named Northern Brave women
Open ↗02New Zealand CricketOfficial 2025/26 Women's Super Smash table
Open ↗03New Zealand CricketNorthern Districts Women batting and fielding averages
Open ↗04New Zealand CricketNorthern Districts Women bowling averages
Open ↗05New Zealand CricketEliminator scorecard and full Northern playing XI
Open ↗06New Zealand CricketFirst Northern women's national title, captain and 1999 domestic debut
Open ↗07New Zealand CricketNensi Patel's 2026/27 WHITE FERNS central contract
Open ↗08New Zealand CricketFour Brave players and head coach Peter Borren on New Zealand A tour
Open ↗09New Zealand CricketOfficial Northern Districts website and social destinations
Open ↗