The two unbeaten teams in this seasons William Cup title race, look to have the opportunity to open a gap on the chasing sides on Saturday.

Te Puke, who last won the Williams Cup nearly a decade ago in the 2003/04 season, have returned to the form that saw them test the best in Baywide cricket in previous decades.

Cricket teams will compete in the Williams Cup battle this weekend.

Te Puke mentor Peter Swan has moulded a team that has genuine firepower with both bat and ball.

While master blaster Mitch McCann will be absence on Bay of Plenty Hawke Cup duty in this weekend's match-up with (Rotorua) Central, skipper Tai Bridgeman-Raison has been in outstanding form posting nearly three hundred runs with a top score of 107 not out.

Another to make his mark in the current Baywide cricket season is Jeremy Bates who can now be classed as a genuine all-rounder, after first making his mark as a bowler.

A highest score of 134 not out and 22 wickets suggest that the Te Puke all-rounder will be a key player as Te Puke seeks to continue their unbeaten run at the Te Puke Domain.

While Central languishes near the bottom of the Williams Cup standings, they have three quality batsmen who if they all fire together would trouble any team in Baywide cricket. Captain Peter Wood along with Julian Danby and Jason Trembath all earned selection in the Bay Development team that played two games over Auckland Anniversary weekend.

The Rotorua side also have the services of medium pace bowler Andrew Gibbs, who has played for the Bay of Plenty first and second elevens in recent seasons.

While Element IMF Cadets will be without Joe Carter, Jono Boult and Sean Davey, who are playing for the Bay in their Hawke Cup defence against Manawatu, they will still have present a relatively strong line-up against BOP Indians.

However the Rotorua side will be seriously inconvenienced without team master blaster Bharat Popli who is also on Bay of Plenty duty.

Defending Williams Cup champions Eves Realty Greerton, need to defeat East Bay United in Whakatane, to keep their Williams Cup title hopes on track.

With both sides sitting in equal third (with Mount Maunganui) the team that emerges with the win points from the match will take a solid step towards securing a semi-final berth.

Mount Maunganui is also in a similar scenario to the Eastern Bay side and Greerton and must beat Tauranga Boys College to cement a top four place.

However Tauranga Boys made a statement last week chasing down BOP Indians total of 207 for the loss of a solitary wicket, with the encounter likely to be a close run affair.

Williams Cup Draw February 9

BOP Indians v Element IMF Cadets, Smallbone Park; East Bay United v Eves Realty Greerton, Rex Morpeth Park; Mount Maunganui v Tauranga Boys College, Blake1; Te Puke v Central, Te Puke Domain.

Williams Cup Points Table

Te Puke 27, Cadets 25, Mount Maunganui 15, Greerton 15, East Bay United 15, Central 9, Tauranga Boys College 9, BOP Indians 3.