Bay of Plenty Indians take out Rotorua/Taupo senior reserve grade title

Bay of Plenty Indians' captain Shonit Chandra in action against GM Painters Lake Taupo CC 2nd Xl during the final on Saturday. Photo/Ben Fraser

After the last wicket fell in the Rotorua/Taupo senior reserve grade final scenes of ecstasy broke out among Bay of Plenty Indians players and fans alike.

The home side beat GM Painters Lake Taupo CC 2nd Xl by 58 runs in the local competitions grand finale at Smallbone Park yesterday.

It was made all the more special for the Indians after they reclaimed a title they last had their hands on seven years ago and it was the second trophy of the season after they won the New Zealand Indian Sports Association cricket tournament, over 20 overs, in January.

Indians' captain Shonit Chandra said it was a proud day for the club.

"It was amazing when we took the last wicket," he said. "There was a great atmosphere all day and we just went wild. We've waited seven long years to win it back and I'm very thankful to the whole team. This trophy is even more valuable to us than the T20 - this is a real take for us and it means so much."

The winning Bay of Plenty Indians team. Photo/Supplied

Chandra opted to bat first after he won the toss and the Rotorua side reached 180 all out off the full 40 overs. Batsman Yash Patel, batting second in the lineup, starred with 75 n/o while Chandra hit a solid 29 runs.

The Bay of Plenty bowlers were then dominant in the second innings, bowling Lake Taupo all out for 122 runs off 30 overs with Lokesh Gahlan taking three wickets for 26 runs and Chandra also impressing, taking two wickets for 21 runs.

Chandra admitted to being wary after the first innings but put the win down to an "outstanding" performance from Patel, the batsman who only tallied 10 runs previously this season, and a strong fielding display.

"In all honesty Yash [Patel] has had a difficult season up until the final and just hasn't been able to find his form, but he came up to me and said 'I'll do it in the final.' He was so calm and just kept plugging away in there - he was outstanding.

"I wasn't sure if we'd set a big enough target - 180 isn't really enough but I was very confident with my bowling lineup. Taupo were looking pretty good and after 20 over were only 87/3 but then we piled on the pressure and the cracks started to appear."

Bay of Plenty Indians' captain Shonit Chandra celebrates at Smallbone Park with the Rotorua/Taupo senior reserve grade trophies. Photo/File

Chandra added the success for Indians this season was down to the commitment from the squad - this included two players travelling from Auckland and another from Hamilton.

"I'm very thankful to the whole team and really appreciate the commitment everyone has shown," he said. "It's been an incredible season for us and we only aim to get bigger and better.

"We want to keep growing as a club and definitely want to be challenging for all the trophies next year."