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

The top echelon of secondary school cricket kicks of this Saturday, with the Western Bay first X1 competition playing their first stanza, before being joined by division two and three after Labour weekend.

Three seasons ago the Western Bay Cricket Association stepped up to the plate, to provide a real link from Saturday morning primary age-group cricket, through to the secondary school game and then on to senior club cricket.

The purpose of the new secondary school competition was to provide a defined pathway to premier club and professional cricket.

The current set-up provides serious cricket for all Western Bay secondary schools, with three separate competitions to suit the various levels of the game at the individual schools.

While Eastern Bay's Trident High School have played in the Western Bay Schools competition for a number of years, they will be joined in the second-half of the season by several school sides from Rotorua and Taupo, which opens up a Baywide pathway.

Last season's makeup of the BOPCA Coastland Senior Secondary team that retained the ND title was a prime example of the Western Bay pathway.

From that age group side, Keaton Taylor and Brody Gilroy have progressed to play premier cricket for Te Puke, Ben Musgrave has joined up with Mount Maunganui while Christian MacDonald and James Boyd are playing for Cadets and Greerton respectively.

In recent seasons, Bay of Plenty has become the major cricket association in the country, having won then defended the Hawke Cup on four occasions.

The most pleasing part for Sideline Sid has been the progression of Joe Carter, Bharat Popli and Tony Goodin to earn places in this seasons Northern Knights, from Hawke Cup cricket.

Other Bay of Plenty team graduates in the ND first eleven are skipper Daniel Flynn, Graeme Aldridge and Jono Boult along with local Black Caps Kane Williamson and Trent Boult.

Sitting in the wings are another group of players who have the potential to play professional cricket. Brett Hampton has played several games for the Northern Knights and is a key player in the Bay of Plenty senior men's team.

Last year Tom MacRury blasted two centuries in the ND Fergus Hickey competitions, while Cam Neal and Ben Musgrave earned promotions to the Bay first eleven after smashing a tonne of runs in Baywide club cricket.

While there is a myriad of club and professional cricket to come this season, Sideline Sid can't wait for next Tuesday.

You would have to be hermit or a recluse not to know that the Black Caps are creating Bay of Plenty Cricket history next week, when they take on South Africa at 'our own” Bay Oval at Blake Park on Tuesday (21 October) and Friday (24 October).

A decade ago, few could imagined that some of the world's best players would be on show at the Bay Oval, which was then a piece of wasteland at Blake Park.

To add icing to the cake, it is hoped that Bay of Plenty Black Caps Kane Williamson, Trent Boult and Cory Anderson will answer a New Zealand Cricket call to duty at the Bay Oval.