 |
Sports correspondent & historian with |
For two glorious weeks in February 2026, the Bay of Plenty senior representative cricket team held all four trophies they are eligible to compete for.
Bay of Plenty Cricket already possessed the ND one‑day and two‑day trophies won last season. In December, they added the 2025 Northern Districts T20 Super Smash title.
The icing on the cake came when they lifted the NZC Hawke Cup from Taranaki in a Direct Challenge from February 13–15 in New Plymouth.
This gave the Bay of Plenty Cricket flagship team all three ND representative trophies, as well as the biggest prize in NZC minor association cricket, in their trophy cabinet – if only for a short time.
Hawke Cup cricket dates back to 1910, after one of the fathers of the game, Lord Hawke, donated what is now one of New Zealand cricket’s most prestigious prizes.
Bay of Plenty have become one of the dominant forces in Hawke Cup cricket over the past decade and a half.
Their platform for 21st‑century success was set earlier, winning the NZC major prize in 1986, 1987, and 1997.
Hawke Cup history shows that the Bay set the all‑time highest score when they posted 701 in defeating Hamilton in January 2013. They defended the prize on four occasions before losing it to Manawatū the following year.
Three years later, Bay of Plenty reclaimed the Hawke Cup after beating Hawke’s Bay. They then produced another four successful defences before Counties Manukau administered defeat.
The 2018 Counties Manukau victory gave them sweet revenge after they had been hammered by Bay of Plenty in the Bay’s first defence in 2017. Bay of Plenty equalled their Hawke Cup record score of 701, with future England Test player Alex Lees blasting 223 runs.
This year, Taranaki put the Hawke Cup on the line in the second Direct Challenge of the season, when Bay of Plenty arrived at Pukekura Park full of enthusiasm and belief in mid‑February.
Bay of Plenty won the toss and asked the hosts to bat first.
Taranaki posted a solid total, being dismissed for 254. Josh Earle was the standout bowler for Bay of Plenty, claiming three wickets.
The hosts appeared to have a vice‑like grip on the Hawke Cup when they had the Bay side five down for just 70 runs.
Enter Niven Dovey and keeper Mike de Beer. The pair put together a match‑winning 168‑run partnership, with Dovey battling his way to a hard‑fought 109 and de Beer finishing unbeaten on 86.
The rain‑interrupted match ended with Bay of Plenty securing a first‑innings points victory to return home with the Hawke Cup for the sixth time.
Two noteworthy feats were recorded during the Hawke Cup win in the province.
Bay centurion Peter Drysdale achieved the remarkable milestone of being part of three Bay of Plenty Hawke Cup‑winning teams, while skipper Oliver White joined his father, David, in lifting the NZC minor association trophy in triumph.
However, the 2026 Bay of Plenty Hawke Cup success was short‑lived.
Last weekend, Canterbury Country made the long trip north to relieve Bay of Plenty of the Hawke Cup with a first‑innings points win.
There is little time to rest for the Bay of Plenty representatives, with an ND two‑day game this weekend and a one‑day encounter to finish the season the following weekend.