A relook at the Northern Districts Development standings has resulted in the Bay of Plenty Development team being awarded the Basil McBurney Trophy.

This trophy is awarded the winner of the annual ND Development competition.

With uncertainty around the points table, ND declared that while Northland and Bay of Plenty had finished on equal points – the Bay won the trophy courtesy of its 10 wicket victory over Northland on Auckland Anniversary Day.

Facing Hamilton for the right to lift aloft the Basil McBurney Trophy in triumph last Sunday – the two sides were involved in a magical mystery tour early in the day.

When the two teams arrived at Smallbone Park in Rotorua, a look at the pitch revealed the covers had leaked water onto the pitch.

A number of urgent phone calls resulted in the two sides heading for the Te Puke Domain to play the title decider on a grass wicket.

Hamilton batted first and got away to a good start, however, the momentum slowed as the Bay bowlers, led by stand-in captain Daniel Hill, started to hit their straps.

The ebb and flow of bat versus ball saw Hamilton dismissed in their last over for 222.

One player to make runs for the Waikato side was former Bay representative Steven Rae, who posted a handy 35, with Peter Bocock top scoring for Hamilton with 43.

Hill troubled the Hamilton batsmen throughout and was rewarded with six wickets for just 25 runs.

Bay of Plenty opener Tim Clarke, who usually keeps wickets, repaid his selection as a specialist batsman to compile an aggressive 85.

Daniel Hill showcased his all-round talents batting at seven with a solid 32, with Cameron Neal posting a gritty 27 runs.

The match went down to the wire, with the Bay needing four runs off the last ball of the match-up for victory, with a dot ball putting paid to the Bay of Plenty chance of grabbing the win.

While the young Bay side tasted defeat in their last game of the season by a narrow margin – the ND Development silverware will spend the winter at Bay of Plenty Cricket headquarters.

ND Development Competition Result

Hamilton 222 (P Bocock 43, S Rae 35; Daniel Hill 6/25, Tom Clout 2/43) defeated BOP 219/9 (Tim Clarke 85, Daniel Hill 32, Cameron Neal 27)