Bay cricket’s top talent recognised

The end of the Bay of Plenty cricket season always brings some catch-ups, with one pleasant task being the announcements of the BOP Cricket Player of the Month Awards, for the first three months of 2012.

Long serving servant of Element IMF Cadets and Bay of Plenty Cricket, Matthew Drake, smashed his way to the January Player of the Month award followed by Bay of Plenty senior men’s representative Jono Boult, claiming the February award.

On Saturday, 21 January Cadets were on fire against Rotorua Central, blasting four hundred runs then bowling the Rotorua visitors to Tauranga Domain out for just 48.

The arrival of Matthew Drake at the crease turned the Cadets innings into a blitzkrieg. Drake smashed 142 runs of just 100 balls. The partnership with Scott Steward produced 151 runs, with the devastating display of batting seeing Cadets finish their turn at bat at a massive 402/7.

Along with the 437 runs that Mathew blasted in Baywide one-day cricket, he posted two significant Bay of Plenty representative milestones during the season.

In a Bay career that kicked off in the 2000-2001 season, Matthew reached the 50 games and 1200 run mark for Bay of Plenty this year.

Jono Boult, wrote his name into Bay of Plenty Cricket history books on the 25th and 26th of February 2012 against Poverty Bay, with ten wickets in the match. For the second time in the season he grabbed a six-wicket bag returning 6/32.

The Bay of Plenty captain has really come of age since being handed the Bay skippers’ role at the start of the previous season.

While he has always been known as a hard hitting batsman who has amassed more than 1500 runs in the Bay uniform – he made his mark as a bowler this season, smashing Graeme Aldridge’s previous highest tally of wickets in a season with a remarkable 33 wickets.

A twenty-seven year drought between Williams Cup victories, ended for Eves Realty Greerton when they squeezed home against Cadets, in the Baywide title decider at the BOP Cricket Oval at Mount Maunganui on Saturday, March 24 2012.

In what turned out to be a battle to the wire Greerton batted first and were removed by the Cadets bowlers for 186. Brett Hampton was the star of the Greerton turn at bat with a hard hit 96 runs.

In spite of a captain’s knock of 66 from Cadets skipper Jono Boult, the Greerton bowlers grabbed the ascendancy after Boult was dismissed to restrict their opponents to 175/8, to win the prestigious Baywide trophy for just the third time in the clubs history.

Bay of Plenty Cricket Player of the Month Awards

January 2012 – Mathew Drake (Element IMF Cadets)

February 2012 – Jono Boult (BOP Senior Men’s Representative Team)

March 2012 – Greerton Premier Cricket Team