CRICKET

Few Te Puke cricket followers could have imagined the damage inflicted by the bowlers from both teams when Te Puke travelled to Blake Park to square off with Mount Maunganui on Saturday.

Mount Maunganui, who sat at the top of the standings with Greerton entering the contest, won the toss and elected to bat first on their home track. The Mount batsmen made a reasonable start, posting 22 runs before losing their first wicket. Then their innings turning to custard — they were bowled out for just 87 runs, with David Hancock (24) the only batsman to reach the 20s.

Cameron Riley was in top form with the ball, grabbing four wickets for 18 runs. Iman Singh, Te Puke’s third change, grabbed three wickets for 23 runs, with Christian Macdonald taking two Mount scalps.

The fall of the first Te Puke wicket with just one on the board, brought Blair Mckenzie to the crease. The batsman proceeded to anchor the successful Te Puke reply. When Mckenzie departed with 38 runs on the board, his team needed just four runs for the win points on offer, which took them to the cusp of the top four.

Pa¯ pa¯ moa scored a breakthrough first win in the Bay of Plenty Cup on Saturday after earning admission to Baywide cricket this season.

Pa¯ pa¯ moa won the toss and elected to bat against Holland Beckett Law Tauranga Boys’ College in Tauranga.

Pa¯ pa¯ moa openers Matt Horne and Andrew Goldsmith got their side away to a good start, with the first wicket falling with 40 runs on the board. Horne went on to post 34 runs before being dismissed, but it was the arrival of Ben Guild at the crease that set up the Pa¯ pa¯ moa victory. Guild steadily built an innings that finished with an unbeaten 114 runs that included eight fours.

While Isaac White, Charles Williams and Liam Collett all reached the 30s before being dismissed, the Papamoa bowlers prevailed to remove their opponents for 181, to claim their first Baywide win. Reece Shelton took 3/34 for the victors.

This coming weekend Te Puke are at home to Tauranga Boys’ College while Pa¯ pa¯ moa take on Greerton at Gordon Spratt Reserve.

The two Pa¯ pa¯ moa B Grade sides

Bond & Co Mount Maunganui 87 (David Hancock 24; Cameron Riley 4/18) lost to Flying Mullet Te Puke