TAURANGA AND THE WESTERN BAY COMBINED TEAM TO TAKE CENTRE STAGE IN ATTRILL CUP ROUND TWO

Posted: Thursday, 23 October 2014

The combined Western Bay of Plenty representative team have one hand on the Attrill Cup, after a weather interrupted round one last Sunday.

While the Rotorua verses Tauranga match at Boord Park was rained out - the Western Bay side which draws its players from the premier ranks of the Mount Maunganui and Te Puke clubs, beat Eastern Bay of Plenty in a sprint finish.

The Attrill Cup is a long time BOPCA sub-association competition, where representative teams from four regions battle for Bay of Plenty sub-association superiority, for a trophy that dates back to the early 1930’s. In recent seasons, the early season competition has doubled as a Bay trial to select the first Bay of Plenty Senior Men’s team of the season.

The biggest match-up in the Attrill Cup, in recent years, is when the Western Bay combined side square off with the Tauranga representatives. Local friendships are put aside in the Battle of the Harbour Bridge, with no quarter asked for or given on the field.

The Western Bay local derby kicks of the Attrill Cup double header at Ferguson Park on Saturday and Sunday (25/26 October 2014). Tauranga are chasing three successive Attrill Cup titles and must beat Western Bay on Saturday, to have any chance of lifting aloft the long time piece of Bay of Plenty Cricket silverware on Sunday afternoon.

Last year Tauranga batted first and posted 204/9, then bowled the combined side out for 161, to grab season bragging rights. Individual honours belonged to Tauranga batsmen Tom MacRury who top scored with a game winning 68 runs.

The previous season, Western Bay took first use of the batting strip and were dismissed for 191. Led by an undefeated 89 from the bat of Joe Carter, Tauranga cruised to a seven wicket win.

BOPCA Attrill Cup Draw 2014
25 October: Eastern Bay of Plenty v Rotorua, Ferguson Park 3; Western BOP v Tauranga, Ferguson Park 2.
26 October: Eastern BOP v Tauranga, Ferguson Park 2; Rotorua v Western BOP, Ferguson Park 3.

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