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

Western Bay cricket fans looking to catch an action-packed potential thriller on Saturday should head for Blake Park, where Mount Maunganui will square off with arch rivals Otumoetai Cadets for the right to hold the 2013 Baywide Cup aloft in victory.

Since the second leg of the Baywide competitions has been introduced seven years ago, the Mount and Otumoetai Cadets have held a stranglehold on the Baywide Cup championship. Mount Maunganui has won the 110 over competition four times, interrupted only by Otumoetai Cadets in the inaugural season and 2011.

While the two premier sides are cordial to each other off the paddock, there is a fierce rivalry, bordering on obsession, when they meet on the field of play. With the ashes tests over the ditch having thrust sledging back into the spotlight, there is likely to be plenty of questioning of the opposition teams parentage on Saturday.

Sideline Sid believes the Baywide Cup final stanza is too close to call. Mount Maunganui, who also holds the other two Baywide trophies of the Williams Cup and the Hart Family champion of champion's trophy, will need little motivation when they walk out onto their home track. Cadets also have an impressive record in Baywide cricket, having won the time-honoured Williams Cup nine times since the mid-1990s. Bragging rights will also be on the line, with the winners likely to remind the loser of the Baywide Cup outcome at every opportunity.

It will also be a timely opportunity on Saturday, for people to wander over to the Blake One boundary line to see the changes at the Bay Oval. The brand new Bay Oval pavilion is nearly complete and is to be officially opened at the HRV Cup match on the second day of January 2014. The new cricket facility stands out like a beacon overlooking the Bay Oval with the building's contours wrapping around the top of the bank.

In order to meet the ICC standards for an international ground, a second grass wicket that mirrors the main ground wicket block, has been laid down. The new wicket was used for the first time in a Bay Development team game a couple of weeks ago and saw nearly 500 runs produced during the match. With 15 wickets falling in the game, the new wicket rewarded both good batting and bowling during the contest.

The new pavilion and practice wicket block has the same constitution as the Bay Oval meets the ICC standard for international cricket. While Cricket World Cup qualifiers at the Bay Oval in January 2014 will bring second tier international cricket to the ground – Bay cricket fans will be hoping to see the Black Caps in action at the Bay Oval in the future.

Seeya at the HRV Cup Games.