Quest begins for cup glory

The glory of the cup returns.

The McNaughton Trophy, for reserve grade cricket teams across the Bay of Plenty, starts tomorrow with two qualifying rounds.

The knock-out competition holds a rich significance in second-tier cricket, with reserve grade teams given a chance to make a name for themselves.

Two new entries in this year's competition have forced a qualifying round tomorrow which will see Geyser City (Rotorua) play Greerton and Bay of Plenty Indians (Rotorua) play against Te Puke.

Geyser captain Karl McKnight said this was the first year they had entered the Baywide competition and his side were excited about facing fresh competition.

"We have a few guys out this Sunday but it gives some of our younger guys a chance to step up."

He said that included one of the best talents he had ever seen in 13-year-old Hayze Perham.

Perham won the Bay of Plenty Cricket player of the month award in December for blasting a big century in an inter-city representative fixture.

He scored 172 runs against Tauranga's best young bowlers, including 16 sixes and 11 fours.

The winners of each 40-over game will qualify for the second round with six other teams already included in the second round, which will be played on Sunday February 17.

The origins of the Baywide reserve grade prize come from the donation by the McNaughton family in Te Puke.

At first, the trophy was only offered to second tier teams from the Tauranga and Te Puke sub-associations.

However, a change several years ago saw the competition expand to include all reserve grade sides in Bay of Plenty cricket.

In the past two seasons, Mount Maunganui have beaten Katikati twice to to lift the trophy.

In 2010, Rotorua's Central Cricket Club made the final but lost out to Katikati.

The McNaughton Trophy draw: Tomorrow, 11am: Geyser CC v Greerton CC, Smallbone Park; Te Puke CC v Indians CC, Te Puke Domain.