Williams Cup Preview 10th February

Posted: Thursday, 8 February 2018

Bayleys Central Indians To Receive A Reality Check This Saturday

While Rotorua's Bayleys Central Indians are the form team of the second half of the season competitions, they could receive a reality check on Saturday (10 February 2918) when they play Eves Realty Greerton at Pemberton Park in Tauranga. Both have started the time-honoured Williams Cup with back to back wins - with a share of the outright lead and Bay of Plenty inter-city bragging rights on the line, at the picturesque Tauranga suburban park. Long-time Rotorua premier player Andrew Gibbs, who skippers the Central Indian troops, is a key player with both bat and ball. Twelve wickets and 106 runs in Baywide cricket this season, testifies to his tag as a genuine all-rounder. Stephen Nicholls leads the Rotorua sides batting with 239 runs.

Greerton batsman Lee Watkins, has been in sterling form since season start and has posted 231 runs at a highly respectable average of 28.88. Leg-spinner James Boyd is a real workhorse with the ball and has taken 18 wickets to sit in second place in the season-long bowling stakes.

Defending Williams Cup title holders Element IMF Cadets, sit in an unfamiliar place at the bottom of the standings. However this weekend, they will have their Bay of Plenty representative players back in the fold, when they meet New World Te Puke at the Te Puke Domain. Captain Jono Boult, Joe Carter, Sean Davey and Donovan Deeble return, will see the defending champions back to full strength, after two successive Bay of Plenty representative encounters.

Two Te Puke players sit at the top of the Baywide batting and bowling honours lists. Stephen Crossan leads the batting stakes with 477 runs while Christian MacDonald heads the bowling list with 24 bowling scalps.
Carrus Mount Maunganui will be heavily favoured to beat GM Painters Lake Taupo CC at Blake Park. Eight Hart Family Trophies, since the Baywide champion of champions silverware was first presented in 2008, tells the tale of the Mount sides desire to lead the charge on the three Baywide trophies each season.

Bay of Plenty Baywide Cricket Draw 3 February 2018
Williams Cup
Carrus Mount Maunganui v GM Painters Lake Taupo CC, Blake2; Eves Realty Greerton v Bayleys Central Indians, Pemberton Park; New World Te Puke v Element IMF Cadets, Te Puke Domain; Cooney Lees Morgan Tauranga Boys College the bye.
Points Table: Central Indians 12, Mount Maunganui 12, Greerton 12, Te Puke 0, Cadets 0, Tauranga Boys College 0, Lake Taupo CC 0.

BOPCA Williams Cup Honours Board 2018
Batting (Centuries) 103 – Joshua Bates (Element IMF Cadets) v Greerton
Bowling (Five wickets) 5/46 - James Boyd (Eves Realty Greerton) v Cadets

Share this page: