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

Last Saturday morning, Sideline Sid decided to take his constitutional (walk) down at Fergusson Park.

The picturesque Tauranga suburban oasis was a frenzy of activity with junior cricket action, as a myriad of youngsters took their first steps on the Western Bay and Bay of Plenty Cricket pathways.

Several sides of five to seven year olds were engaging in the basics of the game, where enjoyment of playing and having fun was more important than who won or lost.

Other games at Fergusson Park had slightly older groups of youngsters on the next level of the local cricket pathway showcasing their skills with bat and ball.

Sideline Sid has always held a view that to have New Zealand teams that successfully compete on the world stage, you need a strong base at the bottom of the pathway.

Western Bay of Plenty Cricket start at the very bottom of the cricket ladder, with primary school visits prior to the cricket season each year.

The core of the school visits are sessions that deliver the very basics, such as how to hold a bat, and catch and throw a ball, to many who have never tried the game before.

The primary school visits also promote the very successful and popular NZ Cricket Superstars Cricket Academy program, which Western Bay Cricket runs at various venues in the Western Bay of Plenty.

The Superstars program is delivered in eight weekly sessions and is aimed at five to 10 year olds, who get to put into action the basic skills taught at the introduction to the school instruction.

In term one of the new school year, many of the Superstar Academy graduates join clubs to play Saturday morning division three cricket, which is what Sideline Sid witnessed last Saturday morning.

The Western Bay cricket pathway progresses through to the Intermediate and Secondary School competitive competitions, with the most promising being selected for Western Bay and Bay of Plenty Cricket junior representative teams.

An outstanding example of the pathway is provided by the 2005 Bay of Plenty Coastland Under 17 side.

Current Black Cap superstars Kane Williamson and Trent Boult, ND professional players Bharat Popli and Tony Goodin, ND A and Bay of Plenty centurion Peter Drysdale along with Bay of Plenty representatives in Dane Sorrenson and Shane Wineti, all wore the Bay uniform at the 2005 ND age-group tournament.

This weekend welcomes Oceans 20 back to the Mount Main Beach.

The Under 14 surf lifesaving event is celebrating a special mark this year with the twentieth staging of the iconic youth event.

Just as junior cricket provides the platform to the professional game, the surf lifesaving national age-group carnival that calls Mount Maunganui home and is the pathway to New Zealand representation and professional surf sport.

The four day event that will bring 800 plus youngsters to the Mount Main Beach, catering for Under 11 to Under 14 junior surf athletes to hone their skills in a competitive environment, while still having fun and a good time.

It is interesting to note that of the 823 initial entries, girls (440) outnumber boys (383).

It is likely that one club will receive plenty of attention is the contingent from the Kawana Waters SLSC on the Queensland Sunshine Coast.

Surf Lifesaving is a huge sport in Queensland due to the athletes being able to train twelve months of the year, with a number of the Kiwi kids at Oceans 20, likely to cross the ditch in the future to train and compete with best in the world.