Bay of Plenty youngsters made their mark in BOPCA Williams Cup on Saturday with solid performances. New World Te Puke's Christian MacDonald and Carrus Mount Maunganui's Luke Tatley both claimed four-wicket bags, with several other stars of the future making their mark with bat and ball.
Defending Williams Cup champs Mount Maunganui have an early lead in the 2016 title bid after they won a low-scoring battle with Bayleys Central in Rotorua. Central's Bay rep bowlers Andrew Gibbs and Jason Trembath took three wickets each to help bowl out the visitors for what appeared to be a modest 129 runs. Logan Dench top-scored for the Mount with 35 runs, while skipper Nick Smith made an unbeaten 31.
Otumoetai College student Luke Tatley showcased his emerging talent with the ball as he picked up 4/25 as Central were removed for just 84 to give Mount Maunganui a 45-run victory. Mount quick Chris Atkinson took 3/11 and Dale Swan 2/23.
Te Puke batted first in their win over Element IMF Cadets at Te Puke Domain. Led by youngsters Jonty Grigson (30) and Gareth Wallace (23), the home side were dismissed for 165. Former NZ under-19 all-rounder Sean Davey was in supreme form with the ball taking four wickets, with English visitor Lou Brook grabbing three.
Another young gun, Christian MacDonald, ripped through the Cadets' batting to take 4/8 as the visitors were bowled out for 142. Jonty Grigson backed up his batting with two wickets, and Ben Christensen top-scored for Cadets with a hard-fought 28.
