The opening four rounds of the 2023 Bayleys Bay of Plenty Cup are shaking up the Tauranga City teams domination of the competition in recent years.

A change of format, where an outright result is rewarded with 20 points and a winning draw attracts just six points, has seen a plethora of new teams in the top four.

Flying Mullet Te Puke entered their encounter on Saturday with Bond & Co Mount Maunganui, at the top of the standings with sixty points, courtesy of three outright victories.

Te Puke were bowled out for 179, with Ben Vyver top scoring with 48 runs and Mount bowler Peter Drysdale taking four wickets for 31 runs. The Mount reply finished at 160 for the loss of six wickets. Te Puke finished the game with a winning draw, which saw them retain the top spot on the current points table. 

The chase for outright victories sees teams take advantage of first innings declarations. Sandford Wall Lawyers Central Indians declared at 228/6 in their matchup with Craigs Investment Partners Tauranga Boys College. Stephen Nicholls top scored with 87 while Jake Rowe hit a more than handy half-century. 

Led by five wickets from long-time combined side bowler, Andrew Gibbs, Central Indians bowled Tauranga Boys College out for 127, to claim the twenty points on offer.

Arguably, the most improved team in Baywide cricket this season is Craigs Investment Partners Geyser City. The Rotorua representatives moved into third on the standings, after an outright win over three time Bay of Plenty Cup titleholders, Element IMF Cadets.

Geyser City batted first and were dismissed for a neat two-hundred runs. Batting at six, Gordon O’Donoghue belted 63 off 79 balls, with seven 4’s and one six. Cadets opening bowler, Isaac White, took five wickets to go with his seven wicket haul the previous weekend.

Geyser bowler Ben Atwood, reigned havoc with the ball to rip through Cadets lower order, with five wickets at a cost of 34 runs. Cadets were bowled out for 174, to give Geyser City a 26 run victory, and a valuable twenty points.

BOPCA Bayleys Bay of Plenty Cup November 11, 2023

Flying Mullet Te Puke 179 (Ben Vyver 48; Peter Drysdale 4/31, Craig Baldry 3/33) winning draw v Mount Maunganui 160/6 (Peter Drysdale 57)

Sanford Wall Lawyers Central Indians 228/6 dec (Stephen Nicholls 87, Jake Rowe 56 defeated Craigs Investment Partners Tauranga Boys College 127 (Aryan Aryal 37; Andrew Gibbs 5/33)

Craigs Investment Partners Geyser City 200 (Gordon O’Donoghue 63, Alexander Roy 37; Isaac White 5/44, Cameron Murray 3/26) defeated Element IMF Cadets 174 (Sam Clode 54, Andrew Mascall 30; Ben Atwood 5/34, Ben Dyson 3/40)

Eves Realty Greerton 290/4 dec (Tom MacRury 113, Billy Syme 57 no, Charles Williams 31, Anish Desai 30) defeated Papamoa outright (score not supplied)

Lake Taupo CC the bye

Bayleys Bay of Plenty Cup Standings (Provisional)

Te Puke 66, Mount Maunganui 43, Geyser City 42, Central Indians 32, Lake Taupo 29, Cadets 20, Papamoa 6*, Greerton 3*, Tauranga Boys College 3. * One result missing.

Barry Leabourn