Cricket: Greerton and Mount square off in cup final

Eves Realty Greerton and Mount Maunganui will fight out the 2013 Williams Cup title at the Bay Oval from 11am on Saturday.

Both teams will be aiming to write their own piece of cricket history as well as lift the Baywide cricket trophy.

Defending Williams Cup champions Greerton are chasing back-to-back titles. Success at the home of cricket in the Bay of Plenty would give the Pemberton Park-based side the club's fourth Williams Cup crown, after last season's victory and successive titles in 1984 and 1985.

Victory for Mount Maunganui would add the Williams Cup to the Baywide Cup won before the Christmas break and the Hart Family Trophy awarded to the Baywide champion of champions.

"Naturally we want to win and a victory would help ease the disappointment of losing the ND club title in a bowl off against Kaipara Flats last Sunday," said Mount captain Mark Divehall.

"We will need to stop their key batsmen Brett Hampton and Cameron Neal taking control. Hammer has been in outstanding form for the Bay team, and Cam has smashed over 400 hundred runs in the Williams Cup.

"The Mount boys will need to be patient and disciplined in order to lift aloft the Williams Cup in triumph. However, the real strength is the number of allrounders in our side that can turn a game with either bat or ball."

Greerton skipper Shane Wineti, in his first season in charge, was equally as upbeat about his team's chances of victory.

"Greerton has a strong all round line-up as we proved in eliminating Cadets in the semifinals," he said.

"However, we never take the Mount lightly and are expecting a real close game.

"While both sides play with confidence, if Hammer [Hampton] cuts loose with the bat, as he did against Cadets last weekend, it will set a platform for a big score.

"If the Mount bats first, we have a strong bowling line-up to restrict their ability to hit out.

"Obviously we are well aware of the outstanding rep form of Mount quick Tony Goodin and we will need to contain the Mount batting duo of Pete Drysdale and Tim Clarke".

While Greerton managed to beat Mount Maunganui in the qualifying round of this season's Williams Cup, both teams know that the earlier result counts for nothing.