Cricket: Premier club action returns

Escaping Winter: Bayleys Central's Ryan Pedley (foreground) returns from the UK to play during the English winter again this season. Photo / Ben Fraser

Premier club cricket begins this weekend across the Bay of Plenty as seven teams chase top honours in the Baywide Cup, T20 competition and Williams Cup.

The withdrawal of Whakatane United has resulted in a bye during the six months of competition.

Tomorrow marks the start of the Baywide Cup, the first competition of the season, which runs through until December.

Rotorua's two premier sides, Bayleys Central and the Bay of Plenty Indians, have had some changes to their rosters over the off-season and are both in action this weekend.

The Indians will travel to Tauranga tomorrow to take on defending Baywide Cup champions Greerton, while Central will host Te Puke at Boord Park.

Central won back-to-back Baywide T20 titles in March and will be hunting for more silverware this season.

They will again be captained by Jason Trembath, who broke back into the Bay of Plenty men's team after five years' absence last season.

For the third successive season, Ryan Pedley is making the journey from the UK to play for Central during the English winter. Pedley will be accompanied by Graeme Whiles who is expected to make an impression while in the country.

Meanwhile, the Indians have appointed one of the youngest captains to be seen in Baywide cricket for years.

Yohanna Irani played for the BOPCA Coastland Senior Secondary Schools team last season and will skipper the Rotorua team.

Such is the talent of the top-order batsman, he was selected for the Bay of Plenty men's development team 12 months ago while still at high school.

Northern Knights batsman Bharat Popli, who transferred from Mount Maunganui two years ago, will be another vital cog in the Bay of Plenty Indian Sports Club side when available.

GS Gargan was a prolific run scorer in Western Bay of Plenty reserve grade last season and has answered the challenge of playing top-grade cricket with the Indians.

Unfortunately, one of the Indians' stars from last season, Jayvant Dhanjee, is unavailable.

-Baywide Cup draw tomorrow (games start at 12pm):

Greerton v BOP Indians, Pemberton Park; Tauranga Boys' College v Otumoetai Cadets, Nicholson Field; Central v Te Puke, Boord Park; Mount Maunganui bye.