Potential semifinalists have emerged in the Williams Cup with two rounds remaining of the Baywide competition.
Te Puke and Cadets held on to their unbeaten records, with Mt Maunganui and Greerton cementing their place in the top four.
Batting first at the Te Puke Domain against Rotorua Central, the home side set a very defendable target when they were dismissed for 207. Associate coach Charles Williams led the way with a solid 57, with Steven Crossan (40) and skipper Tai Bridgeman-Raison (32) both getting good starts. Bay Development bowler Ben Blackett bowled with real enthusiasm to grab a five-wicket bag for Central.
The visitors made a good start in their pursuit of victory, with Blackett backing up his bowling performance to top score with 48. Jeremy Bates was in fine touch with the ball, returning 3/34, while Sean Gibson and Josh Dwight took two wickets apiece as Te Puke cruised to a 44-run victory.
In spite of an unbeaten knock of 77 from Tauranga Boys' College player/coach Mark Orchard, the visitors to Blake Park struggled against Mount Maunganui's bowling attack. However two rear guard partnerships that featured Orchard - with James Boyd and then Tom Wakelin - produced 66 bonus runs, as the students reached a respectable 157 all out.