BOP skipper to bring up 80th appearance in Hawke Cup match

Peter Drysdale will bring up his 80th match for Bay of Plenty this weekend. Photo/File

Bay of Plenty captain Peter Drysdale will play his 80th provincial match in this weekend's Hawke Cup direct challenge against Southland.

This will move him into outright third place on the all-time appearance records behind only Derek Beard (105) and Michael Wright (102).

Drysdale made his Bay of Plenty debut against Hamilton in 2009 and has scored 2782 runs including three centuries with a highest score of 119.

He said the team was looking forward to the match at the Bay Oval starting tomorrow.

"We are very excited about the last Hawke Cup challenge of the season and hosting Southland who have such a rich Hawke Cup history. Hawke Cup fixtures are always special and we will be doing our best to continue the momentum that we have built as a team to this point and retain the Hawke Cup again this weekend".

"As we all know cricket can be a fickle game and it is essential that we continue to execute the basics as well as we can for long periods. There is a good feeling within the team environment and we have been working hard to give us the best chance to perform our skills under pressure"

Drysdale said it was a privilege to bring up 80 games for Bay of Plenty.

"I have also been lucky enough to play within some of the most successful teams in Bay of Plenty cricket history for the majority of my career. Between seasons I have seen how small alterations can unravel or add to the success of this team."

"It is mine, along with the other senior player's, responsibility to ensure that we uphold the standards that we have forged our previous success on and encourage the group to push the limits and take them to new levels.

"Regardless of the number of matches played the key is to contribute as heavily as possible with bat and ball and back each other up in the field by taking catches and creating a winning presence".

Drysdale said having english import Alex Lees as part of the group this year had increased the standard particularly for the batsmen.

"I have told him that we are all going to be attempting to hunt down the Bay of Plenty record score he set in his debut match in January against Counties Manukau. We all thank him for his efforts and contribution to our team this season and wish him well on his return to the UK".

Bay of Plenty has previously played Southland on three occasions in Hawke Cup direct challenges - losing all three matches. The first was at Queens Park in Invercargill in 1976, where the home team batted Bay of Plenty out of the game posting 341 in their first turn at bat, with RW Anderson top scoring with 107 runs.

The second meeting between this weekend's adversaries, was in 1987 at Blake Park in Mount Maunganui where the South Island side relieved the hosts of the NZ Cricket prize, in a low scoring encounter.

Bay of Plenty's next Hawke Cup direct challenge came in 991 at Queens Park, with no result produced because of inclement weather.

NZ Cricket Hawke Cup 2017
10-12 March 2017 Bay of Plenty (Holders) v Zone Four Winners - Southland
Bay of Plenty Team (Hawke Cup Direct Challenges appearances in brackets)
RPO Drysdale - captain (11) TJ MacRury (9) BS Musgrave (6) B Thompson (1) BR Hampton (8) SB Davey (8) JJ Boult (5) TJ Clarke (9) SP Crossan (debut) DM Deeble (3) CM Atkinson (3) TC Goodin (10)

Coach: Graeme Aldridge
Assistant Coach: Charles Williams
Manager: Wayne Brill

Bay of Plenty Cricket All-Time Appearances
105Derek Beard1980/81 - 1994/95 (14 seasons)
102Michael Wright1966/67 - 1991/92 (25 seasons)
79Grant Manners1987/88 - 2000/01 (13 seasons)
79Peter Drysdale2009/10 - 2016/17 (8 seasons)