Sideline Sid Sports correspondent & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

Sideline Sid's crystal ball is in a thousand pieces on his office floor after he failed to pick the winners of the AFL and NRL Grand Finals played last weekend.

To rub salt into his wounds, he was also on the wrong end of a close decision from Tauranga boxer Gunnar Jackson, on the Joseph Parker undercard on Saturday night.

While punters usually talk through their wallets when there fancies get beaten - this particular punter was relatively happy to accept two close losses in the Aussie football title deciders.

Kiwi and Australian sports fans have a special affinity for the underdogs, with the fans across the ditch loving nothing better than when "the little Aussie battler" gets up to win.

Cronula Sharks ended a 49 year drought when they won the NRL title for the first time, beating the Melbourne Storm in a arm-wrestle on Sunday night.

The side from the Sydney southern beaches got home in front of their delirious supporters, to take the title back to Sutherland Shire, with celebrations likely to continue all week.

The Western Bulldogs trophy cabinet has been almost as bare as the Sharkies, with the inner-city Melbourne club winning the AFL big prize for just the second time in the clubs 139 year history.

There would have been just a few grey-haired Western Bulldogs supporters that were at the MCG in 1954, when their Footscray based heroes won the clubs first flag.

October sees the oval ball being put away and cobwebs being dusted off wickets, bats and balls, with the local cricket season kicking off next Saturday.

A new format in Baywide premier cricket will see the Baywide and Williams Cup played on a two round, home and away, competitions.

Western Bay of Plenty sides can be expected to dominate the Baywide competitions, with just one Rotorua team joining Otumoetai Cadets, Mount Maunganui, Te Puke, Greerton and Tauranga Boys' College, in the chase for the two pieces of Baywide silverware.

After the fiasco of last weekend's title-deciding selections, Sideline Sid is putting away his crystal ball and will be content for Western Bay domiciled sides to win the two pieces Bay of Plenty Cricket silverware.

Lower grade cricket is alive in well in the Western Bay of Plenty, with a record 13 Reserve Grade sides chasing glory and another six B Grade teams enjoying the more leisurely B Grade competitions.

In addition, Secondary School cricket will continue to bridge the gap between junior and senior men's cricket.

Otumoetai Cadets have joined Mount Maunganui this season in entering teams under their club banner for the first time.

Both the Mount and Cadets provide the opportunity for aspiring cricket players, from schools that don't have the numbers for a standalone team, to play the game.

The real success story of Western Bay of Plenty cricket, is the number of players who have progressed along the BOPCA pathway to play professional and senior representative cricket.

Think Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Daniel Flynn and Graeme Aldridge who have earned selection for the Black Caps in the last decade and several other Western Bay age-group graduates who will turn out for the Northern Knights this summer.