Greerton set seal on cup victory
Unbeaten in the premier competition, BOP titleholders confirmed their ascendancy with a four-wicket win
Eves Realty Greerton wrappedupthe 2020 Bay of Plentycuptitle in the last round of play with a victory over Holland Beckettlawtauranga Boys’ College.
The four-wicket win at Greerton headquarters at Pemberton Park secured the club’s fourth Bay of Plentycupcrown since the one-day competition kicked off in the 2007/08 season.
Saturday’s win was the second time the Greerton premiers had gone through the Bay of Plentycuptitle race unbeaten.
Tauranga Boys’ opened the day’s proceedings at the batting crease with thehomeside removing their near neighbours for 140.
Greertonnewcomermitchell Rush took four wickets with current captain Lee Watkins returning figures of 3/15. Chris Mascall topscored for the visitors with ahardfought 30 runs.
The early ascendancy in the Greerton reply lay with Tauranga Boys’, whohad thehometeam on the ropes at fourdownwith just 37 runs on the board.
Batting at five, Umeshranaraja steadied the ship and took control to take his teamhometo victory with an unbeaten 73, with four wickets to spare.
Long-serving Greerton captain Shane Wineti, whowas on the sideline due to injury, said the latest Bay of Plentycupwinwas based on
“great teamwork and the experience of players such asdanspencer, James Boyd, Tommacrury and Bretthamptonwhenavailable, who have experienced previous multiple Bay of Plentycupsuccesses”.
“Wehave built a great culture and bond in recent years and Lee Watkins has done a grand job steppingup to the plate as the team captain after Iwas injured earlier in the season.”
Flying Mullet Te Puke continued their grand run of winning form, posting their fifth successive victory and leapfroggingbond& Comount Maunganui to finish second.
Squaring off against Pa¯pa¯moa, Iman Singh batted at six and topscored with 66 runs. Gareth Wallace wasin good touch, posting ahalfcentury as Te Puke reached 240/9.
Tasmancarsons led his side to a 135-run win with three wickets at a cost of 25 runs. Te Puke can be well pleased with their 2020 Bay of Plentycup performances, with their only loss inflicted by Greerton in round four.
Bayleys Central Indians nailed a top-four finishwhenthey defeated Element IMF Cadets at Cadets’home base, the Tauranga Domain.
Cadets posted the visitors a substantial target in reaching 226/9, all-rounderdonovan Deeble leading thewaywith 78 while Fergus Lellmanmadeahalf-century.
Former Northern Districts player Bharat Popli took charge of his side’s reply in belting 108 not out. Popli and Julian Danby(45no) took thegame awayfrom Cadets as they strolled to a six-wicket win.
Generationhomeslake Taupo¯ grabbed their first win of the competition with an emphatic victory over Craigs Investment Partners Geyser. Batting first, Lake Taupo¯ reached 288/5 with skipper Habib Malik (90) and Caleb Bate (86) doing the damage.
Three-wicket bags from Nathaniel Higgins and Aditya Chandelier were major factors in Geyser being bowled out for 144 to give the Taupo¯ side a 144-run victory.