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Sideline Sid Sports correspondant & historian www.sunlive.co.nz |
Is there a better place in the world to be in the height of summer than the Western Bay of Plenty?
There are lazy days, plenty of sun and a myriad of sporting events to follow in Tauranga and the Mount.
And for Sideline Sid, who has a smidgen of Scottish ancestry, the best part is most of the events are free to watch.
From the race up and down Mount Maunganui on Boxing Day and the New Years' Day athletics at the Tauranga Domain, to the multitude of triathlon and associated events and the surf lifesaving competitions – they all welcome spectators and cost not one penny to watch and support.
Even some of holiday season festival of sport events that have a charge, have had modest entrance fees. Five bucks for adults to get into the Bay Provincial 7's at Blake Park and $10 for entrance to the Ford Trophy cricket games at the Bay Oval, are good value.
Leading the way in affordable gate charges and looking after spectators is Northern Districts Cricket. On Wednesday (January 21), ND Cricket opened the gates at the Bay Oval, with free entry for the last Ford Trophy game at the Bay Oval this season.
The FREE mid week entry is another step by ND Cricket to make the game spectator-friendly and let cricket fans get up close and personal with the stars of the game.
Free entry to the last Ford Trophy game of the season, is just the entrée to three International One Day Internationals between the White Ferns and England in February.
The New Zealand White Ferns couldn't have tougher opponents at the Bay Oval on the 11th, 13th, and 15th February 2015, with England holding down top sport in the ICC World rankings. The Bay Oval will again throw open the gates with free entry.
The first day of April will bring one of the oldest cricket competitions in New Zealand to the Bay Oval for the first time, when Plunket Shield cricket comes to town. The Plunket Shield was presented by Baron Plunket in 1906, for competition between the New Zealand Cricket First Class Associations.
While the Plunket Shield was replaced by a commercially-sponsored trophy in mid 1970s, it was reinstated as the symbol of major association four-day cricket superiority, in the 2009/10 season. Once again there is no charge to watch Northern Districts and Canterbury do battle over four days.
Next week brings potential future stars of New Zealand Cricket to the Western Bay of Plenty, with Tauranga Boys College hosting the North Island Secondary Super Eight Cricket championship.
A number of recent Black Caps have emerged from the annual Super Eight Cricket competitions, including Daniel Flynn and Kane Williamson from Tauranga Boys.
Palmerston North, Napier, Hamilton, Gisborne, Hastings and New Plymouth Boys High Schools will join two Tauranga Boys College teams, in fighting it out the 2015 Super Eight Cricket title.
Seeya at the cricket at the Bay Oval