Williams Cup Preview 18th March 2018

Posted: Thursday, 15 March 2018

Williams Cup Finals Berths On The Line This Saturday And Sunday

A Bay of Plenty inter-city derby and a reply of last weekend’s contest between long-time rivals Element IMF Cadets and Carrus Mount Maunganui, will open proceedings in the Williams Cup playoffs this Saturday (17 March 2018).

Eve's Realty Greerton who finished the Williams Cup qualifying competition with an unbeaten record, will host Rotorua side Bayleys Central Indians at Pemberton Park, in the major semi-final on Saturday (17 March 2018). The winner between the top two finishers in qualifying play, will progress straight to the Williams Cup Final next Saturday - with the loser squaring off with the winner of the minor semi-final, on Sunday (18 March 2018).

Both sides, will look to their top and middle order batsmen to get them home, on a track that has produced a bucketfuls of runs this season. Greerton's Pip Thickpenny and Lee Watkins sit in the Williams Cup top five run-scorers and aren't afraid to seek out the boundary ropes when on attack.

Central Indians have a genuine master blaster in Stephen Nicholls, who has fired with the bat throughout the three Baywide competitions. Last weekend Nicholls opened his shoulders to smash the season highest Baywide score, blasting 147 runs at Owen Delaney Park in Taupo. Bay of Plenty Lakeland senior secondary player Ryan Neves, is another in good touch with his willow batting lance and has posted over 150 runs in the Williams Cup title race.

A sudden death clash will take place at Blake Park, where Mount Maunganui will play Cadets for the second successive weekend. Last Saturday Cadets had to defeat their arch-rivals to grab a semi-final berth. Batting first Cadets posted 249/6, with Rubén Clinton blazing away to post a hard fought century. Cadets skipper Jono Boult then got onto the Williams Cup honours board, taking six wickets for 15 runs as Mount Maunganui were removed for 114.

While the Baywide Cup between the two sides was washed out, they met twice in the Baywide Cup Twenty 20 competition. Cadets won the first match-up in the qualifying play, before the Mount reversed the first game result in the T20 title decider. Batting first, Mount Maunganui reached 176/6 before bowling the Tauranga Domain based side for 134.

Both Williams Cup contenders, have one hand on the Hart Family Trophy, which is awarded to the Baywide champion of champions. Cadets won the Bayide Cup and went on to represent Bay of Plenty in the ND Club champs - with Mount Maunganui winning the T20 prize for the first time.

BOPCA Williams Cup 17 March 2018

Major Semi-Final: Eves Realty Greerton v Bayleys Central Indians, Pemberton Park

Minor Semi-Final: Carrus Mount Maunganui v Element IMF Cadets, Blake2.

Sunday 18 March – Preliminary Final

BOPCA Williams Cup Honours Board 2018

Batting (Centuries) 147 – Stephen Nicholls (Central Indians v Lake Taupo)

146 – Tai Bridgman-Raison (Te Puke v Lake Taupo)

109 – Ruben Clinton (Cadets v Mount Maunganui)

103 – Joshua Bates (Element IMF Cadets) v Greerton

Bowling (Five wickets) 6/15 – Jono Boult (Cadets v Mount Maunganui)

5/19 – Gurwinder Singh (Cadets v Lake Taupo CC)

5/46 - James Boyd (Greerton v Cadets)

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