Our Story

Based in Tauranga, New Zealand, Centurion was started in 1985 by master bat craftsman, Colin Henderson. Colin first started making cricket bats by hand for Newbery in Mt Maunganui back in the 1980s and later started Centurion after the closure of the New Zealand Newbery factory. From there, Centurion quickly gained a reputation in New Zealand as a leading brand for quality, handmade English Willow cricket bats, with recognised popularity among first-class players including New Zealand Black Caps.

Now, in 2018, the same commitment to quality and passion for the game remains, with our focus firmly on ensuring that all players have access to an affordable yet high-performing cricket bat that they can carry with pride.

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Colin Henderson

Colin (or Henry to his mates) is one of New Zealand's original master craftsmen. Having started off in the Newbery factory in Mt Maunganui back in the early 1980's he soon developed a passion for hand crafting cricket bats.

When the Newbery factory shut down Colin followed his passion and travelled to the UK spending time with renowned bat makers, brands and Willow merchants. Upon return to New Zealand, Centurion was born in 1985.

Colin hand-made every aspect of the cricket bat (even the handles) through the 80's and 90's building the brand and sponsoring a few young Black Caps. The highlight of which was a young Jeff Wilson hitting the winning runs against Australia in a one-dayer in Hamilton in 1992.

Colin continues to look after our cricket bats, inspecting and preparing all the new bats and servicing all our repairs.

Kayne Henderson

Kayne (or Spudee to his mates) is the eldest son of Colin. Having spent his youth watching his old man work away in the bat factory he soon developed a passion for the game himself and went on to be a handy age group rep player.

His late 20's saw him take a up job with global sportswear giant adidas. This job took him to the global head office in Germany to take up a role working with pro athletes in rugby and cricket helping to develop new products.

During this time he led a project to develop the adidas Adipower Vector cricket shoe, working alongside designers, developers and some of the world's best cricketers. This shoe went on to become one of the biggest selling shoes in the modern game and is still the choice of many players today.

Now back in New Zealand, Kayne is managing things day to day for Centurion.