Unheralded teenager Bevan Small looks like taking the honours for the most famous piece of cricketing action ever in New Zealand's domestic Twenty20 league after his athletic leap to facilitate a catch went viral over the weekend.

The 19-year-old was 12th man when the Central Stags met the Northern Districts last Friday at Mount Maunganui and was fielding as a substitute when batsman Brad Wilson walloped the ball high and hard towards him.

The ball looked to have cleared the boundary for six but Small soared into the air back over the boundary rope and, still airborne, managed to flick the ball into the hands of team mate Michael Mason, who was backing up.

Footage of the catch has attracted tens of thousands of views on the internet.

The catch did little to influence the outcome of the match, however, with the Northern Districts claiming an easy eight-wicket victory.

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...