Western Bay cricket season begins with T20 competition

Grass roots cricket gets under way at the weekend.

The Western Bay of Plenty Cricket senior club season begins on Saturday with the Divisions 1 and 2 combined T20 competition’s opening two rounds.

The following weekend, the Divisions 3 and 4 teams start the championship title race which concludes with the playoffs in the last two weekends of March 2025.

After three Saturdays of the combined T20 smash and bash cricket, attention then switches to the 50-over-per-side Division 1 and 2 Championships.

An extra challenge in the two title races is that the first rounds of play are contested with the red ball before switching to a white ball for the concluding rounds.

The Division 1 and 2 competitions play a vital role in the development of club cricket in the Bay of Plenty.

Division 1 is seen as a springboard to senior premier cricket, with Cadets, Mount Maunganui, Te Puke, Pāpāmoa and Greerton entering their second XI sides.

These four second teams provide backup for their premier sides, and the Western Bay Division 1 competition, gives players the opportunity to showcase their talent with bat and ball.

There is no better example of the pathway than Benjamin Hunter from Te Puke, who blasted the Division 1 competition highest score of 150 runs late last season, and who is playing premier cricket this season.

Last season, Baaj Sports won two of the three trophies available to them in Western Bay of Plenty cricket competition. In the Division 1 final against Te Puke they batted first and were bowled out for 231.

Gurwinder Singh was in sizzling form with the bat top scoring with 93. Te Puke made a solid attempt to chase down the 232 run target for victory but were restricted to 202 for the loss of seven wickets. Johnny Coulter was the best of the Te Puke batsmen with an unbeaten 51.

Baaj Sports also finished the season with the Don Warner Challenge Trophy. The Baaj team defeated Cadets in the second to last match of the regular season, then defeated Te Puke in the last challenge of the season, to take the trophy into the winter break.

Mount Maunganui will have a target on their back in the Division 1 and 2 T20 championship, as the defending champions, but face a series of real challenges to retain their title.

WBOPCA Division 1: Baaj Sports1, Cadets 2nd XI, Mount Maunganui 2nd XI, Te Puke 2nd XI, Katikati, United Indians1, Greerton 2nd XI, Pāpāmoa 2nd XI.