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

The Bay of Plenty links with Dutch cricket took another step forward in the last few days when a young Dutch player, who has spent the recent summer playing for Greerton, was called into the Dutch National side.

Sebastiaan Braat came to New Zealand last October, as part of Dutch Cricket Academy winter training program. The catalyst for the visit by six young Dutch players was Ben Williams who has played and coached in Holland for the last four New Zealand winters.

While Sebastiaan didn't take the field in the English County 40 game against Gloucestershire, he would have caught up with Western Bay Black Cap Kane Williamson, who is playing for the English County.

A google search revealed that the Dutch National side play in the English County 40 over one-day competition during the English summer.

The Dutch players stepped up to the rigours of Baywide premier cricket, with several making their mark during the season. Sebastiaan is a quick bowler who really developed in the second half of the season. While he took 33 wickets during the three Baywide competitions - 15 bowling scalps came in the high pressure Williams Cup.

Fellow Greerton first eleven player James Gruiters overcame a slow start to develop into solid top order batsman.

While he amassed 372 runs during his Western Bay sojourn, an average of 25.9 in the Williams Cup, told the tale of a hard-hitting number four batsman. Joost Kroesen and Paul van Meekeren who played for Te Puke finished the season with genuine all- rounder tags.

The foresight of Dutch Cricket saw the 18 and 19-year-old youngsters return home as more rounded players, after living and breathing cricket at the Ben Williams Cricket Coaching Academy at Te Puna.

While Ben played and coached in England in 2004/5, it wasn't until he went to Holland in 2008, that he realised his true vocation. In the three seasons with VOC Rotterdam Ben developed from a player/coach into true professional cricket coach.

Dutch Cricket, quickly saw the potential of the relatively young coach from the other side of the world, and got him involved in the development of age group cricket in Holland.

Last year he turned a dream into reality, when he took over the reigns at what has become the Ben Williams Cricket Coaching Academy. While Ben is following in the big footsteps of Brendan Bracewell and John Howell, he has quickly put his own stamp on the Te Puna Cricket facility.

The cricket authorities in the Netherlands, seized the opportunity to send the developing group of Dutch cricket stars of the future, to the Western Bay of Plenty to hone their skills.

New Zealand has long time links to the game in Holland. Former Black Cap Chris Pringle, who now lives in the Western Bay plied his trade in the Netherlands for a time. Bay of Plenty cricket representative Roger Bradley played in Holland as did Chris Kuggelijn who played a solitary game for the Bay in the 1981/82 season.

In recent years Mount Maunganui bowler Andrew Hoogstraten was in the wider Dutch squad for the last World Cup. While he toured the sub-continent with a Dutch XI, he didn't make the final cut for the World Cup.

During the last few weeks, another group of Western Bay players left for Holland to play during their summer season.

The group includes Bay skipper Jono Boult, fellow Bay players Brett Hampton and Tim Clarke and Greerton premier bowler Campbell Thomas.

Seeya at the Game