The Greerton top order have come of age this season, with openers Kent Hodder and Suhkdeep Sidhu in good form and there are few better number threes in Baywide cricket than Bay Development batsman Elliot Timoti.
Te Puke sit at the top of the Williams Cup standings after an unbeaten start to the title race for the long-time winners of Baywide silverware. However they will receive a real challenge to their undefeated start, when Mount Maunganui pays a visit to the Te Puke Domain tomorrow.
Te Puke bowler Jeremy Bates showed his all-round abilities when he blasted 134 not out against BOP Indians in Rotorua last weekend. While Mount Maunganui will be without Tony Goodin, who is on Northern Knights duty, they will welcome back Peter Drysdale and Dale Swan from the Bay of Plenty team who won the Hawke Cup last weekend.
The winner of the East Bay United and Central clash at Rex Morpeth Park in the Eastern Bay of Plenty will advance up the standings, as both sides sit together on the table with a one win and two loss record.
While BOP Indians and Tauranga Boys' College sit at the bottom of the points ladder, they both have a couple of match-winners in their ranks, with their encounter in the Sulphur City likely to go down to the wire.
Meanwhile, the McNaughton Trophy played for by Bay of Plenty reserve grade sides begins on Sunday and will continue every fortnight until the final on March 17.
The addition of BOP Indians and Rotorua's Geyser City has resulted in a preliminary round of play this Sunday with the winners advancing to the quarter-finals.
However, the new entrants will have no easy time in their debuts. Geyser Cricket Club will host 2008 McNaughton champions Greerton at Smallbone Park. Greerton sit just outside the top four of the Western Bay Reserve Grade title race and are likely to present a strong line-up at Smallbone Park on Sunday. BOP Indians travel to play Te Puke at the picturesque Te Puke Domain. While the Te Puke second team had a far from memorable time in last year's Western Bay competitions, they have undergone a renaissance this season and currently sit in second place on the standings.
Draws:
Williams Cup 2 February 2013
Element IMF Cadets v Eves Realty Greerton, Tauranga Domain; BOP Indians v Tauranga Boys College, Smallbone Park; Te Puke v Mount Maunganui, Te Puke Domain; East Bay United v Central, Rex Morpeth Park.
Williams Cup Points Table
Te Puke 20 Cadets 19, Mount Maunganui 14, Greerton 12, East Bay United 8, Central 8, Tauranga Boys College 2, BOP Indians 2.
McNaughton Trophy 3 February
Geyser CC v Greerton, Smallbone Park; Te Puke v BOP Indians, Te Puke Domain