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

Covid-19 continues to rear its ugly head and cause ongoing problems with daily life in New Zealand.

This time, local cricket fans will be denied the opportunity to cheer on their Bay of Plenty heroes in the Black Caps, who were scheduled to take on the enemy from over the ditch at the Bay Oval next Sunday.

While Sideline Sid believes the correct decision has been made to relocate the Black Caps and White Ferns double header to the Cake Tin in Wellington, it has denied the legion of Western Bay of Plenty cricket fans the opportunity to see local heroes Kane Williamson, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner in action.

Who can forget the Boxing Day Test with all its twists and turns, before our boys emerged victorious with a 101 run victory.

It seems just days ago that skipper Kane Williamson thrilled the crowd with a century, while pace bowlers Trent Boult and Neil Wagner were in majestic form with the ball, in routing the Pakistan batsmen.

There are genuine expectations of success, when the Bay Black Cap trio returns home to the Bay Oval to go into battle on behalf of their country.

The Bay of Plenty Black Caps are the tip of the iceberg of a burgeoning group of Bay of Plenty players who are currently shining on the big (cricket) stage.

Our Northern Knights are currently embarking on the playoff stages of the NZ Cricket Ford Trophy, with three Bay players in the contracted group.

There is no better example of perseverance, dogged determination and outstanding skill with the willow weapon, than current Knights skipper Joe Carter.

Losing his ND contract for a season proved the spur which took Joe to new heights, which has included several appearances for New Zealand A and a New Zealand XI in the last six months.

Recent Black Caps Dean Brownlie and Brett Hampton have been amongst the batting anchors of the Northern Knights in recent seasons, with Hampton also a quality medium pace bowler.

Three Bay of Plenty Women's players earned Northern Spirit selection at the start of the current season.

Nensi Patel is one of the rising stars of New Zealand Women's cricket, with recent selection in a New Zealand Women's XI that played England Women.

Kate Anderson and Holly Topp have also earned NZC Major Association team selection.

Lurking just below the Northern Knights is ND A, who contests a NZC series with the other five major associations.

The strength of Bay of Plenty representative cricket is shown in the current ND A side, with six Bay players making a appearance in the three-day encounter with Central Districts.

Peter Drysdale has been a Northern Districts second eleven first-pick selection for a number of years, with his record 114 Bay of Plenty games testifying to his outstanding talent with both bat and ball.

Bharat Popli has played plenty of professional cricket and is a wise head in the ND A team that the younger players can call on.

Nick Hendrie is a devastating batsman when in full stride and is another that knows the ups and downs of the game.

Three Bay of Plenty young guns in Ben Pomare, Taylor Bettelheim and Tim Pringle, round out the Bay ND A contingent.

Pomare, who is the NZ Under 19 wicket keeper, is a rare talent with the gloves and was recently handed the Bay of Plenty team captaincy well before his 21st birthday.

Four centuries, including a double hundred, in just 15 Bay of Plenty representative appearances, testify to Taylor Bettelheim's bright future.

Tim Pringle has also played age-group cricket for his country, with his biggest highlight so far being selected for a New Zealand XI against Pakistan A.

With some many Bay cricket players earning selection at higher levels, Bay of Plenty Cricket can rightly claim to be the leading cricket nursery in the country - with plenty more to come in the ensuing future.