Te Puke celebrate their final win over Mount Maunganui.
Te Puke celebrate their final win over Mount Maunganui.
Te Puke have won the 2016 Williams Cup in thrilling fashion after needing two runs off the last ball to claim victory at the Bay Oval.
Te Puke defeated Mount Maunganui during the grand final on Easter Friday, albeit in a shortened match because of rain.
The Mount batted firstand were in real trouble at 65/6. However, the Mount tail showed plenty of defiance to take their side to 136 all out.
In reply, Te Puke had about 45 runs on the board and were three wickets down when the rain drifted in. The players left the field for what turned out to be a three-hour break in play.
Finally, around 6pm the rain stopped, with the umpires scheduling a 6.30pm resumption of the title-decider.
A revised target of 86 meant Te Puke needed 39 to win off 42 balls. Te Puke worked hard and needed just two runs off the last ball to win, which they achieved by running two.
The memorable victory means the Te Puke club has now won the Williams Cup 16 times since their first crown in the 1938/39 season.
