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

Sideline Sid often says, that before you can go forward you need to know where you have come from. What he really means is that we should treasure the history of our sports clubs and organisations.

During the Easter break, one of the oldest sports clubs in the Western Bay celebrated 125 years of history. In September 1887 the Te Puke Cricket Club was constituted, with the president being Captain Evered and the first chairman Mr George H Lee. The first subscription was set at five shillings.

Over the years, a number of high profile players have turned out for the club. ‘ADG' Andy Roberts and ‘BL' Lance Cairns arrived in the small Bay of Plenty town in the early 1980s.

Few players have excited New Zealand cricket crowds like Lance Cairns. Whether blazing away with his excalibur bat or bowling batsmen out, there was always a sense of the unknown when Lance took centre stage.

Andy, who also played for New Zealand, had a lower profile than Lance but he became a stalwart in Bay of Plenty sides during the 1980s, playing 34 games for the province.

Chris Cairns came to live with father Lance in the mid-1980s, and also played for the Te Puke Premier team as a real youngster. In an often-told game against Albion, the father and son took all ten Albion wickets, mesmerising the opposition batsmen.

Matthew and Robert Hart were first to follow the Bay of Plenty pathway to reach the ultimate honour of Black Cap selection. As youngsters, the Hart brothers were always around the Te Puke Cricket Club. In the early to mid-1980s the Te Puke Premier team rivalled any club-side in the country, both for talent and results. The excitement and environment created by the presence of Andy Roberts and Lance Cairns, and later John Derrick and Bruce Blair, certainly rubbed off on Matthew and Robbie Hart.

In more recent times, Kane Williamson who is now making his mark in the Black Cap ranks, joined the club with several former Tauranga Boys College players. While Kane's appearances for Te Puke have been few and far between, because of Black Cap and Northern Districts commitments, he remains a member of the club today.

His 173 smashed in the 2009/10 season is the highest total by a Te Puke Premier batsman.

While it is always satisfying to look back and revel in past glories - the future of Western Bay sport is in the here and now. Future glories lie with the thousands upon thousands of youngsters who are beginning their sporting journeys. Right now they can't wait for the winter sporting season to kick off in a few weeks.

While youngsters of the region are signing on for the season, a myriad of meetings by dedicated volunteers, that organise and run sport in the Western Bay, kicked off weeks ago. However, Sideline Sid believes that just as important as the volunteers, are the youngsters' families, who organise transport, give words of encouragement from the sideline and wash dirty uniforms each week among loads of other duties.

Long live junior sport in the Western Bay of Plenty.

Seeya at the game