Sideline Sid - Sports blogger Sideline Sid is a local sport fanatic. Not only is he a classic rugby bloke but he has views, opinions and knowledge on all sports played in the Bay of Plenty.

Sidline Sid took a wander out to The Lakes last Saturday to watch the Waikato/Bay of Plenty road running championships. Unfortunately the doddery old bloke arrived just as the stragglers were finishing the course in the last race.

While I missed the excitement and drama of close contests and dramatic finishes, I was impressed by the layout of the course. The course is spectator friendly, and at this stage of the huge subdivision, there are no parking or vehicle access problems.

At the moment The Lakes are ideally suited to the number of sporting events that the developers have attracted.

However, looking to the future when the developers finally complete their work, and the areas become part of the Tauranga City conglomerate, I can see the usual 'not in my backyard” syndrome breaking out.

There will be the same issues such as road closures and parking raised by nearby residents that plague many of the outdoor events in our great city. Meanwhile we should embrace the efforts of the people who have taken such events as the road race and kids multisport events to Tauriko.

Tauranga Ramblers are to be congratulated not only for their vision to take the road races to The Lakes, but also to cater for the casual runner and walker. Times have changed with a vast number of people striving to keep fit by walking and running.

One of the first to cater for the casual runner and walker has been the annual Mount half marathon and other races of varying distances at Queen's Birthday Weekend. For a number of years the mid-winter endurance test has included local walkers who wish to test their abilities against the clock.

There was really good news for a local boxer last week. Tauranga Light Welterweight Anthony Taylor was added to the New Zealand Commonwealth Games team after initially being left out.

An appeal by Anthony's coach Chris Walker was lodged on the grounds that the selectors erred in not considering the local pugilist's recent form. Anthony was the best-performed Kiwi male boxer at the recent Oceania Boxing Championships in Canberra.

A one-point count back loss to the Australian number one in the final, after the scores were tied after the regulation nine minutes of combat, suggests that Taylor could be a medal prospect in India.

What is really remarkable about Anthony is that he has only had around 20 bouts since he first stepped into the ring. His greatest attribute is that he attacks from a defensive stance, which makes it extremely hard for the opposition to score points.

It doesn't take long for the prophets of doom and gloom to emerge with the Steamers' run of narrow losses. Just a few short weeks ago the experts were predicting a big season for the local side – with the critics now writing them off.

Gazing into his crystal ball Sideline Sid says that there is an upset or two from the Steamers around the corner with a solid finish to the season on the cards.

Seeya at the (Steamers) Game