Cricket: One prize to rule them all

Four Western Bay Premier cricket teams are just two games away from lifting the Williams Cup aloft in victory.

The Williams Cup, which was first contested 80 years ago, is the supreme prize in Baywide Club cricket.

Last weekend Cadets, Te Puke, Mount Maunganui and Greerton cemented their places in the semifinals, which will be played out tomorrow afternoon. Cadets, who finished as top qualifier, will square off with Greerton at Cadets' headquarters at the Tauranga Domain, while Te Puke have a home game against long-time rivals Mount Maunganui at the Te Puke Domain.

With the preliminary rounds consigned to the club archives, all four Western Bay contenders will start with a fresh slate. A new equation entering the playoffs is the return of the Bay of Plenty rep players to the Williams Cup, after Fergus Hickey Rosebowl and Hawke Cup duty.

Defending Williams Cup champions Greerton, will welcome back Bay master blaster Brett Hampton and Tommy Clout, who have taken over a dozen wickets for the Bay first eleven this season. With Hampton away on rep duty, Cameron Neal has anchored the Greerton batting and will provide one of the cornerstones in his team's quest for back to back Williams Cup titles.

Cadets are chasing their 10th Williams Cup title, since first winning the Baywide crown in 1995. They will have Joe Carter, Sean Davey and Scott Steward back in their first team ranks. While Scott Steward has been to the forefront in Baywide club cricket for a decade, he was only selected for the Bay of Plenty senior men's side last season. The middle order batsman has blossomed in the rep ranks and has a highest score of 92 to his name. The Te Puke and Mount Maunganui sides have been reinforced by the return of key Bay players. Mitch McCann, who is quality middle order batsmen and part - time bowler, will strengthen the Te Puke unit, while Bay of Plenty Coach Ben Williams could also make an appearance for his club.

Mount Maunganui has four Bay representatives available for action. Peter Drysdale, who has blasted more than 600 runs in Fergus Hickey and Hawke Cup matches, will be joined by Bay of Plenty wicket keeper Tim Clarke. However, the real Mount strike weapon is pace bowler Tony Goodin who set a new Bay record taking 44 wickets during the season. Bay spin bowler Dale Swan will also bolster the Mount side and is a useful tail end batsman.

Williams Cup Semifinals:

Cadets v Greerton, Tauranga Domain; Te Puke v Mount Maunganui, Te Puke Domain.