Dark clouds over Smallbone Park during the Bay of Plenty Cup premier match between Geyser and Pāpāmoa on Saturday. Photo / Ben Fraser
Dark clouds over Smallbone Park during the Bay of Plenty Cup premier match between Geyser and Pāpāmoa on Saturday. Photo / Ben Fraser
The patience and persistence of the Bay of Plenty Cup cricketers had to bow to the elements on Saturday with all four matches eventually abandoned.
Pāpāmoa batted first against Craigs Investment Partners Geyser in Rotorua in an encounter where the visitors' tail wagged.
In real trouble with just 127 runs on the board and with the last two batsmen at the crease, Reece Shelton (25no) and Ben Goodall (23) put on a 50-run 10th wicket partnership, to take their side through to a respectable 177.
Geyser bowler Joe O'Donoghue was in sizzling form on a wet pitch taking five wickets at a cost of 22 runs. The inclement conditions intervened before the home team could bat, with the two sides splitting the points on offer.
Eve's Realty Greerton posted the highest total of the abandoned matches when they were dismissed for 253 with four balls remaining in their innings, against Element IMF Cadets.
Brett Hampton top scored with 48, while new Greerton keeper Tim Burke made a solid contribution with 45 runs. An extended lunch break saw Cadets make a solid start before the players were driven from the field with the hosts at 57/1.
Bond & Co Mount Maunganui batted first against Generation Homes Lake Taupo, at Owen Delany Park in Taupo.
Joe O'Donoghue was in sizzling form. Photo / File
Two long-serving Mount players in Nick Smith and Ben Musgrave each posted 29 runs, with the home side bowlers in good form in restricting the visitors to 165 for the loss of eight.
Lake Taupo had some difficulty in dealing with the wet conditions and were in trouble at 34 for the loss of six wickets when the game was abandoned.
Chris Atkinson and Henry Conway took three wickets apiece.
Bayleys Central Indians batted first against Flying Mullet Te Puke and reached 113 for the loss of six wickets when the game ground to a final halt in the 22nd over.
Individual honours were recorded by Nandeera Nawela (39) and Ben Sandford (30), with Christian MacDonald, Tasman Carsons and Cameron Riley each taking two wickets.
Bay of Plenty Cup Results – October 31 2020
Eve's Realty Greerton 258 (Brett Hampton 48, T Burke 45; Fergus Lellman 2/28) - Element IMF Cadets 57/1 (Marcel Collett 24no) match abandoned
Papamoa 177 (Reece Shelton 25no, Ben Goodall 23; Joe O'Donoghue 5/22) - Craigs Investment Partners Geyser CC 0/0 match abandoned
Bayleys Central Indians 113/6 (Nandeera Nawela 39; Christian MacDonald2/5, Tasman Carsons 2/42, Cameron Riley 2/44) - Flying Mullet Te Puke 0/0 match abandoned
Bond & Co Mount Maunganui 165/8 (Ben Musgrave 29, Nick Smith 29; AJ How 2/14, Nathan Higgins 2/25) Generation Homes Lake Taupo CC 34/6 (Chris Atkinson 3/18, Henry Conway 3/15) match abandoned
Points Table (Provisional) Central Indians 11, Cadets 11, Mount Maunganui 11, Greerton 11, Papamoa 4, Geyser 4, Lake Taupo 4. Te Puke 3, Tauranga Boys College 1.
Draw for Saturday November 7: Te Puke v Geyser @ Te Puke Domain Greerton v Papamoa @ Pemberton Park Mount Maunganui v Cadets @ Blake Park Tauranga Boys' College v Lake Taupo @ Nicholson Field Bayleys Central-Indians v Bye
