Cricket: Attrill Cup's shine returns to former glory

The Baywide Cup will take a break over the next two weeks as the Attrill Cup takes centre stage.

In recent seasons the long-time Bay of Plenty cricket trophy has languished at the tail of the season, with just a solitary game being played in the 2011-12 season.

The re-introduction of the Attrill Cup to the start of this season has a two-fold purpose.

The early-season games will double as Bay of Plenty selection trials, with the Bay of Plenty senior men's side and the development teams starting their Northern Districts competition campaigns in November.

The second major objective is to return the Attrill Cup to its status as a major piece of Bay of Plenty Cricket silverware.

While the origins of the start of the Attrill Cup have become clouded in time, a Bay of Plenty Times report of 1938 said Tauranga had relieved Opotiki of the Attrill Cup after the Eastern Bay side had held the symbol of Bay of Plenty Sub-Association cricket for seven years.

The Attrill Cup spent the winter in the Eastern Bay of Plenty after the Eastern Bay side relieved Rotorua of the prestigious trophy last season, and it will be played for by the four associations in a round-robin competition format.

2012 Attrill Cup teams

Mount Maunganui/Te Puke: Daniel Hill (captain), Peter Drysdale, Tim Clarke, Russell Williams, Mark Divehall, Nick Smith, Dale Swan, Tony Goodin, Ben Guild, Jeremy Bates, Josh Dwight, Mitch McCann.

Tauranga: Jono Boult (captain), Joe Carter, Cory Anderson, Ben Christensen, Shane Wineti, Brett Hampton, Thomas MacRury, Zac Scott, Cameron Neil, Henry Conway, Sean Davey, Tom Clout.

Eastern Bay of Plenty: Team not available.

Rotorua: Team not available.

2012 Attrill Cup Draw

October 20: Eastern BOP v Mount Maunganui/Te Puke, Rex Morepeth Park, Whakatane; Rotorua v Tauranga, Smallbone Park, Rotorua

October 27: Tauranga v Mount Maunganui/Te Puke, Ferguson Park 1, Tauranga

Eastern BOP v Rotorua, Ferguson Park 3

October 28: Tauranga v Eastern BOP, Ferguson Park 1; Rotorua v Mount Maunganui/Te Puke, Ferguson Park 3.