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GREERTON BAY OF PLENTY CUP BYE OPENS THE WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY

Posted: Friday, 4 December 2020

Eves Realty Greerton sitting out the Bay of Plenty Cup bye on Saturday (5 December 2020), opens up an opportunity, for the chasing pack to get closer to the competition leader. 

With valuable Hart Family Trophy (Baywide Champion of Champions) points up for grabs, there is still plenty to play for, in the remaining three rounds of the first past the post title race.

Current Hart Family Trophy titleholders, Bond & Co Mount Maunganui, lurk just six points in arrears of the current competition front-runner. This Saturday, the Mount side travel to Smallbone Park in Rotorua, to square off with Craigs Investment Partners Geyser. Victory would propel Mount Maunganui to a share of the lead with Greerton and open the door, for a chance to add an eighth Bay of Plenty Cup to their honours board.

While the formbook would suggest that Geyser will struggle to reel in the Western Bay side for the win points on offer, home venue advantage, gives the hosts a small window of opportunity. 

Papamoa, who will be playing just their seventh premier encounter since making their Baywide entrance in October, remarkably sit within four points of the top four in their debut season. Back to back victories, based upon their batsmen stepping up to the plate, have propelled the side from the Tauranga City extremities up the standings. A century apiece from Ben Guild (108no) and Andrew Goldsmith (100) has become the ammunition for the two successive wins.

However standing in the way of a Papamoa third successive victory, is Baywide heavyweights Element IMF Cadets, who have won fifteen Baywide premier titles in the last three decades. The Tauranga Domain based side knows how to dig deep into their title history, when facing adversity, and will pose a very big challenge for Papamoa to overcome.

Bayleys Central Indians, are sure to want to cement their spot in the Bay of Plenty Cup top four, when they visit the Western Bay of Plenty to meet Holland Beckett Law Tauranga Boys College, at Nicholson Field. The Rotorua combined side, who sit in fourth equal on the standings with Cadets, will need little motivation in their attempt to take home a victory.

However, Tauranga Boys have a genuine match winner in their ranks in Tim Pringle, who has the competitions highest score of 118 to his name. TBC team mentors, Tim Clarke and Charles Williams, also provide their team with plenty of batting firepower, which could prove a headache for the visitors.

Flying Mullet Te Puke, face Generation Homes Lake Taupo at Owen Delany Park, with Te Puke keeper Blair McKenzie another to belt a three-figure score this season. The home side has produced several competitive scores this year and will fancy their chances at home. 

BOPCA Bay of Plenty Cup Draw 5 November 2020

Craigs Investment Partners Geyser v Bond & Co Mount Maunganui, Smallbone Park; Holland Beckett Law Tauranga Boys College v Bayleys Central Indians, Nicholson Field; Generation Homes Lake Taupo v Flying Mullet Te Puke, Owen Delany Park; Element IMF Cadets v Papamoa, Tauranga Domain; Eves Realty Greerton the bye,

Points Table (Provisional) Greerton 42, Mount Maunganui 36, Te Puke 28 Cadets 22, Central Indians 22, Papamoa 18, Tauranga Boys College 18, Lake Taupo 8, Geyser 6.

Bay of Plenty Cup Centuries 2020

118                  Tim Pringle (Holland Beckett Law Tauranga Boys College)

114                  Tom MacRury (Eves Realty Greerton)

115no              Blair McKenzie (Flying Mullet Te Puke)

110                  Tom MacRury (Eves Realty Greerton)

108no              Ben Guild (Papamoa)

107no              Taylor Bettelheim (Eves Realty Greerton)

100                  Andrew Goldsmith (Papamoa)

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