Te Puke sit on top of Baywide cricket standings

The Bay of Plenty Cup reached week three at the weekend.

Te Puke cemented their spot at the top of the Bay of Plenty Cup on Saturday with their third outright victory.

This time it was near neighbours Pāpāmoa who were defeated in the game at Alice Johnson Oval. Pāpāmoa were bowled out for 107 with Te Puke new recruit Michael Rowland returning 4/20.

Te Puke got home in the 23rd over for the loss of four wickets with Iman Nahal in top shape in delivering a half-century.

Cadets opening bowler Isaac White wrote his name onto his club’s honours board in style in taking seven wickets including a top-order hat-trick.

The encounter at the Tauranga Domain was reduced to a 70 over affair after a wet pitch was given time to dry out. Cadets were asked to bat against Greerton after losing the toss, and were in good shape at 147/5.

Greerton then pulled back the home side’s momentum in removing their last four batsmen for four runs, with Cadets setting the visitors a target of 159 for victory.

The second half of the encounter belonged to Isaac White who grabbed the first four wickets including an elusive hat-trick. White went on to remove a further three Greerton batters, as they were bundled out for 108, to finish with figures of 13.3 overs, 1 maiden, 7 wickets for 70 runs.

Mount Maunganui moved into second place on the standings, after a short and sharp encounter with Tauranga Boys College, at Blake Park while Central Indians posted Lake Taupō a target of 159, before restricting their opponents to 117 for the loss of nine wickets.

The Bay of Plenty senior representative team lost first innings points to Northland in their first ND Fergus Hickey Rosebowl match of the season over the weekend.

Northland were bowled out for 219 in their first turn at bat, with Bay all-rounder Peter Drysdale taking four wickets. Bay of Plenty lost early wickets, and declared at just 96/8, in order to try to ensure that the game produced an outright result. Northland produced a whirlwind 176/9 in 19.4 overs in their second innings.

Bay of Plenty made a disastrous start to the fourth innings of the encounter and were five down with just four runs on the board that included four ducks. If ever there was a time for a captain’s knock to lead their side out of the canyon of an outright defeat — it was this game.

Bay skipper Ben Pomare combined with Drysdale in a 109-run partnership which staved off an outright defeat.

The first appearance at the Bay Oval this season is against Countries Manukau on November 26.

BOPCA Bayleys Bay of Plenty Cup results:

Element IMF Cadets 158 (Blake Pentecost 53, Andrew Mascall 31, Sam Clode 30; Jared Tutty 3/46) defeated Eves Realty Greerton 108 (Loughie Keaney 34; Isaac White 7/70 including a hat-trick)

Sanford Wall Lawyers Central Indians 158 (Lovely Sandhu 52, Julian Danby 34; Roger Urbahn 3/37, Habib Malik 3/53) defeated Generation Homes Lake Taupo 117/9 (Archie Harrison 41)

Pāpāmoa 107 (Andrew Goldsmith 31; Michael Rowland 4/20, Ben Roborgh 3/31) lost to Flying Mullet Te Puke 110/4 (Iman Nahal 52no)

Craigs Investment Partners Tauranga Boys College 85 (Henry Conway 4/13) lost to Bond & Co Mount Maunganui 89/3 (Niven Dovey 34no)

Geyser City the bye

Table: Te Puke 60, Mount Maunganui 40, Central Indians 26, Lake Taupo 26, Geyser City 22, Cadets 20, Pāpāmoa 6, Greerton 3, Tauranga Boys College 3.