It was a weekend of many firsts for Rotorua's Bayleys Central Indians batsman Ben Sandford.
The 37-year-old's first century, and first from any Central Indians player this season, provided a silver lining for his side in their two-wicket BOPCA Williams Cup defeat against Cooney Lees Morgan Tauranga Boys' College at home on Saturday.
Sandford's 132, the player's highest ever Bay of Plenty score and first century at Smallbone Park, is the third highest score of the current Baywide season after he bypassed the boundary 17 times with 15 fours and two sixes.
Sandford, third in the batting line-up, said he "owed" his side a big score and the short ball sat up nicely for him.
"I never expected to get such a big score especially as I had a tough time in my first few overs at the crease with the ball moving around a lot," he said. "But I needed to step up - we'd lost a wicket early and needed runs on the board. Also this season has been a bit frustrating so far for me - I've not been hitting enough.
"The short ball fell well for me and the more time I spent out there the better I was seeing the ball."
Central Indians, who bowled first, struggled to restrict their opponents and fielding lapses cost them dearly as Tauranga Boys' racked up 294/8 in the first innings.
The opposition's Ben Pomare top-scored with 77 with Marcel Collett and Iman Singh both reached the 60s. Sandford, also impressed with the ball, grabbing 2/26.
"We should have restricted them - I think if we had them out at around 250 runs we could have reached that. I don't usually step up for the bowling but it was needed and I was happy to have a couple of good overs," he said.
In the second innings Central Indians' lack of strong partnerships saw Tauranga Boys' win the battle between bat and ball, removing the home side for 231 to claim a hard-fought victory.
The result leaves the combined Rotorua side bottom of the table, disappointing reading for Sandford after they started the second half of their season strongly.
Sandford, who returned to Rotorua cricket last year after a break since 2008 when he relocated to Wellington, said a consistent squad would be essential for the future.
"It's great that we've seen Central and Indians join and I think it's something that needs to be encouraged here in Rotorua to help cricket survive," he said.
"The standard of cricket is high in this competition and as a club we need to look at having a consistent squad. There are currently five or six core players but it's difficult to build a team around that.
"In the area we need to see a lot more clubs working together to help bring young players through. Hopefully plans are in place for the future and it would be great if there could be local indoor training nets so players can train over winter."
Meanwhile at the top of the table, Element IMF Cadets beat Carrus Mount Maunganui by four wickets away at Blake Park, Tauranga, on Saturday.
In the first innings the hosts were bowled out for 163 with Ben Guild top scoring with a half-century. Cadets skipper Scott Steward impressed with the ball, taking three wickets for 21 runs.
In the second innings 15-year-old rising star Fergus Lellman showcased his batting skills, to top score with an unbeaten 64 whilst Scott Steward (34) and Ruben Clinton (29) also played a big part in Cadets' win.
And New World Te Puke grabbed the fourth spot on offer, defeating Eves Realty Greerton with the last ball of an absolute thriller at home. The visitors were bowled out for 195, with Dion McCall the best of the batting attack with 41 runs.
In the second innings Te Puke's Tai Bridgman-Raison top-scored with 63 before dismissal. The match went down to the last ball of the encounter, with Daniel Price hoisting a big blow at the boundary ropes, for Te Puke to sneak home by a solitary run.
Saturday's Williams Cup results mean that Cadets, Mount Maunganui, Greerton and Te Puke will fight out the 2017 edition of the Bay of Plenty Cricket Championship.
BOPCA Baywide premier competition results
Williams Cup
Cooney Lees Morgan Tauranga Boys' College 294/8 (Ben Pomare 77, Marcel Collett 64, Iman Singh 61no; Ben Sandford 2/26, Andrew Gibbs 2/36, A Evans 2/56) defeated Bayleys Central Indians 231 (Ben Sandford 126, Prem Gill 33; Craig Baldry 2/34, Rhys Mischewski 2/37, Dominic Crombie 2/55).
Carrus Mount Maunganui 163 (Ben Guild 50, Matt Golding 31, Mark Divehall 29; Ben Christensen 4/36, Scott Steward 3/21) lost to Element IMF Cadets 164/6 (Fergus Lellman 64no, Scott Steward 34, Ruben Clinton 29).
Eves Realty Greerton 195 (Dion McCall 41, Josh Healy-Ormrod 35, Jared Tutty 26; Alex Gooding 4/38, Josh Earle 2/22, Cam Riley 2/58) lost to New World Te Puke 196/8 (Tai Bridgman-Raison 63, Gareth Wallace 44, Daniel Price 25; Dan Spencer 3/33, James Boyd 2/5)
Williams Cup points table: Element IMF Cadets 52, Carrus Mount Maunganui 46, Eves Realty Greerton 40, New World Te Puke 28, Cooney Lees Morgan Tauranga Boys' College 16, Bayleys Central Indians 15.