Cricket: Greerton claim Bay of Plenty Cup with win over Tauranga Boys' College

Greerton are the Bay of Plenty Cup Champions. Photo / Supplied

Eves Realty Greerton wrapped up the 2020 Bay of Plenty Cup title in the last round of play with a victory over Holland Beckett Law Tauranga Boys' College.

The four-wicket win at Greerton headquarters at Pemberton Park secured the club's fourth Bay of Plenty Cup crown since the one-day competition kicked off in the 2007/08 season.

Saturday's win was the second time the Greerton premiers had gone through the Bay of Plenty Cup title race unbeaten.

Tauranga Boys' opened the day's proceedings at the batting crease with the home side removing their near neighbours for 140.

Greerton newcomer Mitchell Rush took four wickets with current captain Lee Watkins returning figures of 3/15. Chris Mascall top-scored for the visitors with a hard-fought 30 runs.

The early ascendancy in the Greerton reply lay with Tauranga Boys', who had the home team on the ropes at four down with just 37 runs on the board.

Batting at five, Umesh Ranaraja steadied the ship and took control to take his team home to victory with an unbeaten 73, with four wickets to spare.

Long-serving Greerton captain Shane Wineti, who was on the sideline due to injury, said the latest Bay of Plenty Cup win was based on "great teamwork and the experience of players such as Dan Spencer, James Boyd, Tom MacRury and Brett Hampton when available, who have experienced previous multiple Bay of Plenty Cup successes".

"We have built a great culture and bond in recent years and Lee Watkins has done a grand job stepping up to the plate as the team captain after I was injured earlier in the season."

Flying Mullet Te Puke continued their grand run of winning form, posting their fifth successive victory and leapfrogging Bond & Co Mount Maunganui to finish second.

Squaring off against Pāpāmoa, Iman Singh batted at six and top-scored with 66 runs. Gareth Wallace was in good touch, posting a half-century as Te Puke reached 240/9.

Tasman Carsons led his side to a 135-run win with three wickets at a cost of 25 runs. Te Puke can be well pleased with their 2020 Bay of Plenty Cup performances, with their only loss inflicted by Greerton in round four.

Bayleys Central Indians nailed a top-four finish when they defeated Element IMF Cadets at Cadets' home base, the Tauranga Domain.

Cadets posted the visitors a substantial target in reaching 226/9, all-rounder Donovan Deeble leading the way with 78 while Fergus Lellman made a half-century.

Former Northern Districts player Bharat Popli took charge of his side's reply in belting 108 not out. Popli and Julian Danby (45no) took the game away from Cadets as they strolled to a six-wicket win.

Generation Homes Lake Taupō grabbed their first win of the Bay of Plenty Cup competition with an emphatic victory over Craigs Investment Partners Geyser.

Batting first, Lake Taupō reached 288/5 with skipper Habib Malik (90) and Caleb Bate (86) doing plenty of damage at the crease.

Three-wicket bags from Nathaniel Higgins and Aditya Chandelier were major factors in Geyser being bowled out for 144 to give the Taupō side a 144-run victory.

Bay of Plenty Cup results
Tauranga Boys' College 140 (Chris Mascall 30; Mitchell Rush 4/50, Lee Watkins 3/15) lost to Greerton 141/6 Umesh Ranaraja 73no).

Lake Taupō 288/5 (Habib Malik 90, Caleb Bate 86, Raymond How 45, Michael Mitchell 40) beat Geyser 144 (Ben Astwood 33, Cohen Stewart 31; Nathaniel Higgins 3/17, Aditya Chandelier 3/18).

Cadets 226/9 (Donovan Deeble 78, Fergus Lellman 58; Stephen Nichols 4/35) lost to Bayleys Central Indians 227/4 (Bharat Popli 108no, Julian Danby 45no, Stephen Nicholls 39).

Te Puke 240/9 (Iman Singh 66, Gareth Wallace 56, Hamish Wilde 38, Josh Earle 30) beat Pāpāmoa 105 (Scott Finlayson 30; Tasman Carsons 3/25).

Mount Maunganui the bye.

Points table (final)
Greerton 55, Te Puke 48, Mount Maunganui 44, Central Indians 43, Tauranga Boys' College 27, Cadets 24, Pāpāmoa 24, Lake Taupō 16, Geyser 7.