Cricket: Big hitting the theme in opening rounds of Baywide Twenty20

Central Indians bowler Jake Rowe can only watch as the ball sails back past him against Cadets at Boord Park on Saturday. Photo / Ben Fraser

Northern Districts all-rounder Brett Hampton showed he is ready to fire rockets in the upcoming ND white-ball campaign when he hammered the highest ever Baywide Twenty20 score on the opening day of the new season.

The Eves Realty Greerton master-blaster smashed 155 runs off about 70 balls against New World Te Puke. The Te Puke fielders could only stand and watch as Hampton hit a remarkable 17 sixes, which gave him a tally of a century (102) smashed over the boundary ropes, at Boord Park in Rotorua.

Greerton went on to post 244 for the loss of five wickets, with Pip Thickpenny making a solid contribution of 47. Te Puke were removed for 111 by the Greerton bowling attack, to see Greerton lay down the gauntlet to the other Baywide T20 championship contenders.

Central Indians bowler Prabh Jot Gill in action against Cadets on Saturday. Photo / Ben Fraser

Three scores in the thirties, by captain Jono Boult, Jacob Logan and George Catto, carried Element IMF Cadets to an easy victory over Bayleys Central Indians in round one. Carrus Mount Maunganui posted a solid 177/8 against Bond & Co Tauranga Boys' College, then bowled their opponents out for just 69, to claim a 108-run win. The highlight of the encounter was a 101-run partnership between Mount openers Peter Drysdale (65) and Ben Musgrave (36).

GM Painters Lake Taupō CC started their second season in Baywide cricket with a flourish, when they easily accounted for Tauranga Boys' College in the late afternoon action. Batting first, the Western Bay of Plenty students posted a creditable total, reaching 136/7 in their 20 overs. Tauranga Boys' newcomer Dillon Preston top scored with a hard-fought 47 runs, while Roger Urbahn took four wickets at a cost of 35 runs.

Central Indians bowler Jake Rowe can only watch as the ball sails back past him against Cadets at Boord Park on Saturday. Photo / Ben Fraser

The Taupō side cruised to a nine-wicket victory, AJ How leading the way with a gritty 60, while fellow opener Michael Mitchell posted an unbeaten 48 runs.

Greerton continued on from their Herculean first-round performance, defeating arch-rivals Cadets in round two. Brett Hampton continued on where he left off in game one, with 80 runs to his credit in the score book, with Umesh Ranaraja and Pip Thickpenny reaching the twenties. Cadets were removed for 105, to give Greerton an unbeaten start to the season, with Sean Davey the best of the Cadets batting line-up, scoring 36 runs.

Mount Maunganui joined Greerton as the two unbeaten sides on the season's opening day, when they took out a nine-wicket victory against Te Puke.

Baywide Twenty 20 results
Saturday

Round One
Eves Realty Greerton 244/5 (Brett Hampton 155 (including 17 sixes), Pip Thickpenny 47) beat New World Te Puke 111 (Tai Bridgman-Raison 23, Dion McCall 2/11)

Element IMF Cadets 146/5 (Jono Boult 37, Jacob Logan 30 George Cato 30) beat Bayleys Central Indians 100 (Sam McLaughlin 2/10)

Carrus Mount Maunganui 177/8 (Peter Drysdale 65, Ben Musgrave 36, Ben Guild 22; Tim Pringle 3/25) beat Bond & Co Tauranga Boys' College 69 (Tom Friskney 28; Chris Atkinson 3/10, Peter Drysdale 2/4, Dominic Crombie 2/21)

Round Two
Bond & Co Tauranga Boys' College 136/7 (Dillon Preston 47, Tom Friskney 20; Roger Urbahn 4/35, John Dolan 2/22) lost to GM Painters Lake Taupō CC 137/1 (AJ How 60; Michael Mitchell 48no)

Eves Realty Greerton 183/4 (Brett Hampton 80, Umesh Ranaraja 27, Pip Thickpenny 25) beat Element IMF Cadets 105 (Sean Davey 36; D Collier 3/20, Paddy Davenport 2/2, Shane Wineti 2/17)

New World Te Puke 64 lost to Carrus Mount Maunganui 65/1

Points Table
Greerton 12, Mount Maunganui 12, Cadets 6, Lake Taupō CC 6, Te Puke 0, Central Indians 0, Tauranga Boys' College 0.