Top teams to clash in Williams Cup

CLOSE TUSSLE: Action from last week's Williams Cup game between Mount Maunganui and Central Indians. PHOTO:FILE

A top-of-the-table clash in the Williams Cup tomorrow will see just one team finish play with an unbeaten Baywide championship record.

Element IMF Cadets host Carrus Mount Maunganui at Tauranga Domain with the Baker Cup (WBOPCA Challenge Trophy) also be on the line.

Both teams need to go to their reserve grade ranks as they lose four players each to the Bay of Plenty team in defence of the Hawke Cup at the Bay Oval.

Two long-serving Cadets allrounders, who have both played for the Bay of Plenty representative side, could be the key to victory for the home team. Cadets captain Scott Steward and Ben Christensen are both big hitters and equally adept with the ball in hand.

Mount Maunganui also have a club stalwart in Nick Smith who can score runs and come into the bowling attack with his spinners with great success. Smith has the rare distinction of having a premier century and a six-wicket bag engraved on the Mount honours board.

Eves Realty Greerton will be chasing three successive Williams Cup victories this season, when they square off with New World Te Puke at Pemberton Park. Last weekend Greerton chased down a massive target of 342 set by Cooney Lees Morgan Tauranga Boys' College, winning with the last ball of the game.

Defending Williams Cup champions Te Puke sit at the bottom of the Baywide competition standings. However, they have two match-winners who could make life difficult for the Greerton bowling attack in Tai Bridgman-Raison and Stephen Crossan.

Tauranga Boys' position in the cellar of the Williams Cup points ladder does not reflect their performances in the opening three rounds. Two competitive performances against Mount Maunganui and Cadets were followed by last weekend's heartbreaking loss to Greerton.

Tauranga Boys' square off with Bayleys Central Indians on TBC's temporary home ground at Blake Park.

BOPCA Williams Cup Draw

Carrus Mount Maunganui v Bayleys Central Indians, Blake1; Element IMF Cadets v New World Te Puke, Tauranga Domain; Eves Realty Greerton v Cooney Lees Morgan Tauranga Boys' College, Pemberton Park.

Points Table: Carrus Mount Maunganui 21, Element IMF Cadets 21, Eves Realty Greerton 15, Bayleys Central Indians 6, Cooney Lees Morgan Tauranga Boys' College 3, New World Te Puke 3.