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Posted: Thursday, 23 February 2017

Bay Of Plenty To Play Their 31st Hawke Cup Direct Challenge At The Bay Oval This Weekend

Bay of Plenty will play their 31st Hawke Cup Direct Challenge since 1932,when the meet former Hawke Cup heavyweights Nelson at the Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui this weekend (24-26 February 2017).

Since the first Bay of Plenty Hawke Cup match against South Auckland in Hamilton in 1932, the Bay of Plenty side have played in thirty Direct Challenges – winning 14 and losing 16.

They have met Nelson on just two occasions, when they travelled to the South Island when Nelson had a mortgage on the NZ Cricket prize. The first Bay of Plenty Hawke Cup encounter was 13/14 December 1963, when the home side blasted 494, then bowled the Bay out for 81 and 136 to claim a big outright victory. Bevan Congdon and Ian Leggatt both hit centuries for the victors.

The second meeting between this weekend two contestants, took place on 20/22 March 1982, when Nelson inflicted more pain on the Bay of Plenty visitors. The hosts posted 483 all out, with Tony Blain, R Hayward and “Jock” Edwards all blasting centuries. Bay of Plenty posted a much more respectable performance, being bowled out for 209 and reaching 202/6 in their second innings, to concede first innings points.

However in recent seasons the Bay of Plenty representatives have hogged the Hawke Cup headlines. Since relieving Hamilton of the NZ Cricket Minor Association prize in January 2013, the Bay team have played in a further eight Direct Challenges, with just the one stain of defeat (to Manawatu) on their ledger card.

In this season’s Hawke Cup Direct Challenge, Bay of Plenty have put Counties Manukau to the sword and repelled a Hawkes Bay Challenge two weeks ago.

Bay of Plenty Coach Graeme Aldridge said “Our current Hawkes Bay campaign has been very satisfying, as we showed that we can dominate games from the start as against Counties and also recover from a tough position and then dominate against Hawkes Bay”. “Both games were played on very different surfaces and the pleasing thing was that we adapted pretty well on the surface against Hawkes Bay”.

“Bay Oval Turf Manager Jared Carter is keen to get the couch grass going at the Oval and he needs decent cricket played on it to see how it goes. We are more than happy to help him out as we are lucky to have such a facility as our home ground. It has different characteristics to the normal Oval wicket”.

“Nelson will be tough and we obviously don't know much about them. Again though, we will just get ourselves into the game doing the basics well and then adjust as we go”.

There is just one change in the side that defeated Hawes Bay with Northern Knights Jono Boult returning to the team.

NZ Cricket Hawke Cup 2017
24-26 February 2017 Bay of Plenty (Holders) v Zone Three Winners – Nelson
Bay of Plenty Team (Hawke Cup Direct Challenge appearances in brackets)
Peter Drysdale – captain (10) Tom MacRury (8) Alex Lees (2) Ben Musgrave (5) Joe Carter (7) Chris Atkinson (2) Tim Clarke (8) Iman Singh (1) Sean Davey (7) Tony Goodin (9) Donovan Deeble (2) Jono Boult (4)
Coach: Graeme Aldridge Assistant Coach: Charles Williams
Manager: Wayne Brill

Bay of Plenty Hawke Cup Record (1932 – 2017)
Played 30 Won 14 Lost 16

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