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

The nearly-completed construction of a new pavilion at the Bay Oval at Mount Maunganui's Blake Park is the first sign an international sporting event will hit the Western Bay of Plenty early next year.

The Cricket World Cup Qualifying tournament 2014, which is to be played at seven venues throughout New Zealand in January, is the last chance for two of the minnows of world cricket to book berths in the 2015 world cup – to be played in Australia and New Zealand.

While countries such as Nepal, Uganda and Papua New Guinea are almost unknown to cricket fans worldwide, all three countries will be in New Zealand early in 2014 chasing an elusive dream of qualifying for the 2015 world cup. They will join the Netherlands, Scotland, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Namibia, Canada and Hong Kong in a series of contests, with the prize at stake to come back downunder to play with the big boys in the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

With the CWCQ14 draw still to be finalised, we don't know what teams will come to the Bay Oval. However, the intensity for the two 2015 Cricket World Cup places up for grabs is likely to produce action-packed dramas, which in many cases will go down to the wire.

A decade ago, the staging of world cup cricket in the Western Bay of Plenty was little more than a pipe dream. A small group of local cricket supporters had a vision to turn an un-used portion of Blake Park into a village green-type cricket oval, to eventually host international cricket.

In March 2005, earthworks commenced to change a wilderness area of Blake Park forever. The return of top-level cricket to Blake Park moved closer to reality during 2006. With an amphitheatre in place, the following 12 months saw development of the playing surface.

The first game on the Bay Oval took place early March 2007, when Mount Maunganui defeated Te Puke in a B Grade fixture. It didn't take long for the new wicket to produce a multitude of runs, with current Black Cap star Kane Williamson smashing 131 for Bay of Plenty under 19 against Waikato Valley, a couple of weeks after the oval hosted its debut game.

Testament to the quality of the wicket at Bay Oval, is the Northern Knights team making the oval their second home for their HRV Cup T20 encounters. The HRV Cup match-ups at the Bay Oval, played during the Christmas holiday break, has seen large crowds produce the best HRV Cup spectator numbers in the country.

With the new pavilion, which has been finished to International Cricket Council requirements, set to be finished prior to Christmas – the scene is set for a dozen CWCQ14 games to be played at the Bay Oval, including the added bonus of the two vital semi-final encounters.

Seeya at the world cup qualifiers at the Bay Oval.