Double-finalist Elin Tawahru (Mount) came out of nowhere to place second in the under-14 girls' final thanks to her final 4.97 point ride, jumping ahead of series winner Milly Crewe (Muriwai).
Lee Ririnui (Mount) placed third for the second consecutive event, finishing one place ahead of fellow Mount Maunganui surfer William Barnes (Mount) in fourth in the under-12 final.
Tawharu left nothing to chance in the under-12 girls, winning the final event of the series and, in doing so, winning the overall series. Tawharu won the final two events of the series, with Kea Smith (Mount) third in the final.
Softball: Season ender
The Western Bay of Plenty senior softball 2011-12 men's final turned out to be the last match of the season played late on Saturday between Ngati Kahu Braves and Rangataua, with the showdown fittingly drawing one of the larger crowds of the season in a 1-hour humdinger.
Opposing pitchers Jason Te Wheoro (Braves) and Willy Marshall (Rangataua) effectively shut down the batters of both teams, with the few scoring opportunities arising largely through fielding errors.
Braves took a 1-0 first innings lead and in the second innings doubled it. There was no further scoring until the bottom of the fourth when Rangataua drew level at 2-2.
At the bottom of the seventh with the 2-2 tie still remaining, Rangataua advanced a runner to third and then brought him home to clinch the senior men's title 3-2.
The earlier women's final started in a similar fashion between Cardinals and Otepou. For four innings the game remained scoreless before Cardinals lived up to their reputation of waking up late in the game, scoring in their fifth turn at bat.
They followed with loaded bases a number of times to take a 4-0 lead, with Otepou unable to rise to the challenge. They got one runner home at the end of the innings but it was too late as Cardinals took the win and the senior championship 5-1.
In the earlier men's semifinals Rangataua outclassed Colts 7-0 and Braves held off Tauranga City Stealers 12-4 after Stealers had led 3-1.
In the women's playoff for third Tauranga City Stealettes beat Rangataua 7-3.
Men's semifinals: Rangataua 7 Colts 0, Ngati Kahu Braves 12 Tauranga City Stealers 4. Final: Rangataua 3 Ngati Kahu Braves 2.
Women's playoff for third: Tauranga City Stealettes 7 Rangataua 3. Championship final: Cardinals 5 Otepou 1.
Men's season placings: 1 Rangataua, 2 Ngati Kahu Braves, 3 Tauranga City Stealers, 4 Colts.
Women: 1 Cardinals, 2 Otepou, 3 Tauranga City Stealettes, 4 Rangataua.
Basketball: To the victors ...
A & J Demolition and Elders of Israel have taken the spoils in round three of Tauranga City Basketball's Sunday summer league.
A & J Demolition downed Tauranga City under-19s 67-52. Both teams looked to push the ball early, with the under-19s showing no signs of fatigue from the four games they played in a tournament on Saturday. A & J led 26-23 at halftime and the second half saw the fast pace continue, with A & J Demolition capitalising on plenty of turnover ball to move away to a comfortable win.
Elders of Israel were boosted again by the return to the competition of a past NBL star, with former Tall Blacks captain Byron Vaetoe in their lineup. Both teams struggled to convert at the offensive end in what was a low scoring game. Halftime saw the Elders hold a five-point lead, 23-18, and second half saw the continuation of poor shooting percentages, particularly for the Bay Bombers who will be disappointed with their shot selection. Final score 51-38 to the Elders of Israel.
Top scorers: Elders of Israel 51 (Callum Shepherd 12, Wayne Faucett 10) Bay Bombers 38 (Brett Bezzant 15, Mike Rodriquez 7). A & J Demolition 67 (Ashton McQueen 24, John Miller 15) TCBA under-19 52 (Nick Reid 19, Theo Johnson 11).
Cricket: Schools test
The first term of the new school year brings the preliminary rounds of the NZ Cricket schools competition, with a multitude of games played, from Taupo to the Eastern Bay up to Katikati.
The premier secondary school competition is the Gillette Cup. Last year Tauranga Boys College finished fifth in the national final, with the highlight the century hit by Cameron Neal against Hutt (Valley) International School.
The preliminary Bay of Plenty rounds of the prestigious secondary school trophy saw Bay of Plenty sides taking part in Twenty20 field days. At the first field day, Otumoetai College beat Mount Maunganui with Bethlehem College getting past Katikati College. In the day's final stanza, Bethlehem defeated Otumoetai to advance to the next round.
In the other side of the draw, Trident High School got past John Paul College with Aquinas College proving too strong for Campion College. The day's final was taken out by Trident High School.
While Tauranga Boys' College gets a free pass to the later rounds, Bethlehem College and Trident High now move on to a further field day on March 13.
Aquinas College moved through to the next stage of the NZCT secondary schoolgirls competition to be held at Waipuna Park next Tuesday, where they will face two Waikato Valley teams and Tauranga Girls College.
Defending New Zealand Cup champions Tauranga Intermediate cruised through the first stage of the Bay of Plenty playoffs, accounting for John Paul College and Whakatane Intermediate. Te Puke Intermediate defeated Bethlehem College and Taupo Intermediate while Aquinas College beat Rotorua Intermediate and Katikati College.
Tauranga, Te Puke and Aquinas will now contest a round-robin mini tournament, with the top two progressing to the next round.
Gillette Cup: Field day 1: Otumoetai College defeated Mount Maunganui College, Bethlehem College defeated Katikati College; Bethlehem defeated Otumoetai. Field day 2: Trident High defeated John Paul College, Aquinas College defeated Campion College; Trident defeated Aquinas.
NZCT secondary schoolgirls: Rotorua Girls' High defeated Te Puke High, Aquinas College defeated Taupo Nui A Tia; Aquinas defeated Rotorua Girls.
Bay of Plenty Cup (Intermediate boys): Pool 1: Te Puke Intermediate defeated Bethlehem College & Taupo Intermediate. Pool 2: Tauranga Intermediate defeated John Paul College & Whakatane Intermediate. Pool 3: Aquinas College defeated Rotorua Intermediate & Katikati College.
Cricket: Hawke Cup hope
Bay of Plenty are within sight of their first Hawke Cup challenge in three seasons after holders Hamilton repelled their final challenge of their season during the weekend.
The Hawke Cup will stay in Hamilton after they demolished their final challengers of the season, Southland, by an innings and 146 runs at Hamilton's Galloway Park in a three-day encounter.
Southland succumbed for 93 and 170 after the hosts made 409 batting first to ensure Hamilton hold the cup, the symbol of minor association supremacy in New Zealand, for the entire 2011/12 season, also seeing off Wairarapa, Counties Manukau and Nelson.
Bay of Plenty scored a first innings win over Hamilton at Mt Maunganui 10 days ago to lift the Fergus Hickey Rosebowl with 31 points to Hamilton's 28.
With Hawke Cup qualification over a calendar year, Bay of Plenty lead the Hawke Cup standings on 20, with Hamilton on 15, Northland 10, Counties Manukau 6, Waikato Valley 4 and Poverty Bay 2.
Golf: Title slips away
Bay of Plenty's Troy Ropiha lost the weekend's Electrinet Poverty Bay Pro-Am golf title in Gisborne at the weekend after a three-way playoff against Richard Lee (North Harbour) and Auckland's Ryan Fox.
The trio set a new course record of seven under par 65 in the 18-hole tournament.
Lee got off to a flyer, making birdies on the first five holes before adding another on the 8th hole to play the front side in 30. Coming home he birdied the 10th hole but hiccupped with a bogey five on the 14th before making birdie on the last for his 65.
Fox was out in 31 with three birdies and an eagle on the par five 5th hole, birdied 10 and 16 before a bogey on 17, but made amends with a good birdie putt on the 18th.
Ropiha played the back nine first and was three under with four birdies and a bogey six on the par five 12th hole, before coming home on the front nine with four birdies, two of these on his last two holes.
In the sudden-death playoff on the par four 18th hole all three players hit the green in two, with Lee draining his 8m putt to put the pressure on the other two. Fox was next from 7m and his putt just slid by.
Ropiha then holed his 3m to extend the playoff.
Back to the tee, they both drove it well, and after the second shots Ropiha again had the advantage. However, Lee holed his putt from 4m and Ropiha could not convert from just 3m away.
Omokoroa's Kieran Muir also finished strong, tied for fourth after a 67, with Omanu's James Hamilton shooting 69 and Tauranga's Jared Pender 70.
At the Pak-Line/Autex Hastings Pro-Am Muir and Pender were also in the money, with Muir putting together rounds of 67 and 70 and Pender 68, 69 to tie third,
four shots behind runaway winner Nick Gillespie.
Awards: Well represented
Bay of Plenty will be represented in three categories in the upcoming New Zealand sport and recreation awards after finalists were announced by Sport NZ this week. The purpose of the New Zealand Sport and Recreation Awards is to recognise and celebrate the successes in the sector, to share best practice and inspire excellence.
Sport Bay of Plenty has featured as a finalist in three categories:
Commercial Partnership: A 21-year partnership with the Port of Tauranga, major sponsor of the Port of Tauranga Half.
Community Award: For the GO4it programme, a collaborative fundamental skills programme across the Bay of Plenty reaching more than 35 primary schools, 6000 children and involving in excess of 30 sporting organisations.
Event Excellence: The NZCT AIMs Games has also been confirmed as a finalist in this section. The AIMS Games are now in their eighth year and are a strategic partnership between the Western Bay of Plenty intermediate schools, Sport Bay of Plenty and the Tauranga City Council.
Sir Wilson Whineray leads the judging panel and is joined by former Olympian Selwyn Maister, NZCT chairman Peter Dale; ANZ head of sponsorship Sue McGregor, sports administrator Sir John Wells and SPARC chief executive Peter Miskimmin. Winners will be announced on April 30 at the New Zealand Sport and Recreation awards dinner in Rotorua.
Cricket: Development help
A corporate cricket day at Fergusson Park on Friday, March 23, could assist in the development of Western Bay of Plenty's next international cricketer.
Kane Williamson, Trent Boult and Graeme Aldridge, all whom have earned Black Caps selection in the past 12 months, are all products of the Western Bay of Plenty junior cricket pathway.
Four teams of Western Bay professionals have entered the inaugural Western Bay Cricket Association corporate day playing two Twenty20 games.
Team Legal will represent the local legal fraternity, with teams also from the the banking community, accounting and the local property professional and business owners.
Western Bay Cricket, is a relatively recent amalgamation of Tauranga and Mount Maunganui/Te Puke senior and junior cricket. They administer the local game for 1200 school-age and 300 senior players. Another 300 to 400 locals play twilight cricket during the summer season.
Funds raised at the inaugural Corporate Cricket day, will be used to not only grow the local players numbers but also to develop junior cricket rep programme.
After the exertions at Fergusson Park, the day's participants will adjourn to the Tauranga RSA for a prizegiving and dinner, with guest speaker Dame Susan Devoy, who has two sons - Alex and Jamie - both coming up through the ranks. A small number of tickets are available to the dinner and are available through WBOPCA administrator Don Warner (021 307 081).
