The Central Hinds are the representative women's cricket team of the Central Districts Cricket Association, based in central New Zealand. The team competes in New Zealand's national Hallyburton Johnstone Shield one-day competition and the Super Smash Twenty20 competition as one of New Zealand's six women's domestic cricket teams. The team comprises players from Central Districts Cricket Association's eight individual member District associations: Hawke's Bay, Horowhenua-Kapiti, Manawatu, Marlborough, Nelson, Taranaki, Wairarapa and Wanganui. Central Districts Cricket Association is the only Major Association to represent both islands of New Zealand. While the Central Districts Cricket Association was formed only in 1950, there is a long history of both men's and women's cricket in its catchment. The first recorded women's cricket match in New Zealand was played in Nelson in 1886. The Central Hinds won the national one-day title in 2009/10 under Aimee Watkins and again in 2018/19 under current captain Anlo van Deventer. The Central Hinds last won New Zealand's T20 national title in 2009/10 under Watkins before she retired. They were runners-up in the 2006 State Shield; and runners-up in the 2016 T20 competition which in 2018 was rebranded by New Zealand Cricket Inc as the Burger King Super Smash for women. On 3 March 2019 captain Anlo van Deventer and Natalie Dodd set a New Zealand women's List A record for the highest one-day partnership for any wicket, putting on 308 together for the second wicket at Fitzherbert Park against the Otago Sparks. Van Deventer's score of 169 not out in the match was the second highest in Hallyburton Johnstone Shield history and the record highest individual score for the Central Hinds. The team total of 339 for two was also the Central Hinds' record team total. The match propelled the Hinds into a home Hallyburton Johnstone Shield Final at Pukekura Park, in which they defeated defending champions the Auckland Hearts by 39 runs to lift the trophy for the first time in nine seasons. In August 2019 it was announced Jess Watkin and Hannah Rowe would co-captain the Central Hinds in the 2019/20 Super Smash. The season will mark the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Central Hinds team. The current CEO of Central Districts Cricket Association is Pete de Wet.
