Cricket
Bay of Plenty Indians' win/loss record isn't anything to boast about but one thing they can be proud of is their team spirit.
You only have to look at last weekend's match against Central at Smallbone Park.
In oven-like conditions and chasing 229, not once during the run chase did the side give up.
Even before their last batsman was bowled out with the total at 175, there was belief that, if their No 10 batsman could hang around, they could pull off a miracle win.
"We have some good unity, we play together, we've grown up together - some of us are family," says player/manager Praful Morarji. "When we get new players in the team we take them in and treat them like they are one of us."
This is the third year the Indians have fielded a team in the premier competition and they are yet to grab a win in the 50-over version of the game.
But Morarji says it is vital for the club's survival that they have a team in the competition.
"If we didn't go into the prems we wouldn't have been able to attract new players and our club wouldn't have survived."
The ploy seems to have worked for the club which has been running for about 50 years, with the inclusion this season of Bay of Plenty batsman Bharat Popli.
"He's been an inspiration to the team. He's happy to give advice to other players and he is respected in the team."
Respect is something the team as a whole have for one another, with Morarji saying the team try to encourage a teammate rather than put them down when they make a mistake.
"There is a good team unity within the team and we try to encourage everyone. If you make a mistake in the field then we try and focus on the positive."
Morarji said the team had come a long way from their first season in the premier division against Central when they were bowled out for just 14.
"We haven't won a game yet but we keep improving and we have come close."
The side may have the chance tomorrow when they take on Mount Maunganui at Blake Park.
Mount were given a lesson last Saturday, when they were bowled out for 88, chasing Greerton's 321/5.
"We don't take any team for granted, we have to do our homework and be prepared for them as well as make sure we do the basics right," Morarji said.
"They are a top team as well and will be wanting to take [the loss against the Mount] out on us."
In other matches in the round, defending Williams Cup champions Greerton have laid down the challenge to the other contenders with their emphatic win over the Mount.
The defending champs host Te Puke at Pemberton Park.
The two other unbeaten teams will meet at Smallbone Park in Rotorua, where Central will be at home to Baywide heavyweights Element IMF Cadets. A welcome return to form by Cadets batsmen Ben Christensen, who belted 107 against Tauranga Boys College, propelled his team to a comfortable first-up victory last week.
Two half centuries, by Peter Wood and Cameron Payne, played a big part in Central's win in the Rotorua derby against BOP Indians.
But the Rotorua representatives will need to be at their best to beat off the challenge from the Western Bay side, who have both a strong batting and bowling lineup.
Tauranga Boys College will again have the home ground advantage when East Bay United pay a visit to the Western Bay in round two. In recent seasons honours have been fairly evenly shared between the sides, with the game likely to go down to the wire.
Williams Cup Draw;
Tauranga Boys College v East Bay United, Nicholson Field; Eves Realty Greerton v Te Puke, Pemberton Park; Mount Maunganui v Bay of Plenty Indians, Blake1; Central v Element IMF Cadets, Smallbone Park.
Williams Cup Points
Cadets 6, Te Puke 6, Central 6, Greerton 6, Mount Maunganui 0, Tauranga Boys College 0, Bay of Plenty Indians 0, East Bay United 0.