Carrus Mount Maunganui missed grabbing third place in the NZCT Club Cricket Championships on the last day of the tournament on Sunday.
The championships have been hosted by the Cornwall Cricket Club in Auckland for more than two decades and brings together the best premier sides from each of the six NZ Cricket major associations.
While the first two days of the tournament were abandoned because of torrential rain, Mount Maunganui got through to the playoff for third and fourth place courtesy of a big win against the Central Districts representatives on the penultimate day of the tournament.
After winning the toss, Mount Maunganui elected to bat against Takapuna with third place on the line. The Takapuna bowlers put real pressure on the Northern Districts champions, with Mount Maunganui staring down the barrel at 84/7.
However, ND pace bowler Tony Goodin, batting at nine, changed the match momentum with an unbeaten 44. Goodin put together two useful partnerships with Dale Swan and Kyle Dovey before Mount Maunganui were eventually dismissed for 167.