While the Tauranga representative cricket team have one hand on the Attrill Cup entering the final round to be played at Ferguson Park in Tauranga tomorrow, three of the four Bay of Plenty sub-association sides have a chance to lift aloft the iconic Bay of Plenty Cricket trophy in victory.
If defending champions Tauranga defeat Eastern Bay of Plenty, the Attrill Cup will remain in Tauranga until next spring. While the Tauranga side is the only undefeated team after beating Rotorua and the combined Mount Maunganui/Te Puke teams, they will have good cause to remember last season's final round.
Just needing to beat Eastern Bay of Plenty, who sat at the bottom of the standings without a win, the Tauranga side fell at the last hurdle. After bundling Tauranga out for 131, the Eastern Bay batsmen cruised to a six wicket victory. However, Tauranga won the symbol of Bay of Plenty cricket superiority courtesy of a countback.
The big match-up in round two last weekend was the battle of the Harbour Bridge between the current titleholders and the combined team. Friendships off the field were forgotten, as the two Western Bay side squared off to retain their unbeaten start to the 2013 Attrill Cup competition.
Tauranga batted first and reached 204/9, with the contributions of Tom MacRury (68) and Sean Davey (59) playing a big part in their side's 200-plus total. In a second innings where the advantage changed several times, the Tauranga bowlers won the battle of attrition and bowled the combined side out 44 runs short of their target.
If Tauranga taste defeat, the momentum will swing to the Mount Maunganui/Te Puke combined team, who can win the Attrill Cup if they defeat Rotorua. Eastern Bays' opportunity to annex the trophy would come if they defeat Tauranga and Rotorua claims the scalp of the combined side.
In the individual honours after two rounds, Tauranga's Tom MacRury leads the batting total with 107 runs, with his teammate James Birchall top of the bowling stakes with five wickets.
