Playing for Central Districts against Northern Districts in Napier on Sunday, Randell produced a breathtaking burst of fast bowling that turned the match on its head within minutes.

The collapse began quietly but quickly gathered pace. Randell first knocked over opener Henry Cooper with a sharp inswinger on the final ball of his over. What followed was nothing short of extraordinary.

On the next over’s first delivery, he dismissed Jeet Raval. Moments later, Joe Carter edged a catch to complete the hat-trick. But Randell wasn’t done yet.

Two more batters Robert O Donnell and Christian Clark fell in quick succession, leaving the crowd stunned as five wickets had fallen in just five balls.

In the blink of an eye, Northern Districts tumbled from 4 without loss to 9 for 5, a collapse that will be talked about for years. At that stage, Randell’s figures read an astonishing 5 wickets for just 2 runs in 2.4 overs.

The fast bowler kept the pressure on and eventually finished with 7 wickets for 25 runs in 11 overs, the best figures of his first-class career. Northern Districts were bowled out for 82, far behind Central Districts’ first-innings total of 373, and were forced to follow on.

Speaking after the match, Randell admitted the moment felt surreal. ‘It’s honestly hard to believe,’ he said. ‘I was just trying to stick to a simple line and length and follow the team’s plan. Everything happened so quickly.’

Interestingly, Randell revealed he didn’t even realize he had achieved a historic first becoming the first bowler in first class cricket to take five wickets in five consecutive balls.

While rare, similar feats have appeared in shorter formats. Irish cricketer Curtis Campher famously took five wickets in five balls during an inter-provincial T20 tournament in 2021. Zimbabwe Under-19 women’s player Kelis Ndhlovu also achieved the feat in a domestic T20 competition in 2024.

Randell’s opportunity in the match came partly due to injuries to senior bowlers Ajaz Patel and Blair Tickner. Yet what began as a chance to fill a gap quickly turned into a career defining performance.

Sometimes cricket offers moments that feel almost scripted a perfect mix of skill, rhythm, and timing. On this remarkable day in Napier, Brett Randell found that rhythm, and history followed.