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

The last few days of May have well and truly seen autumn depart, with the chills of winter already rocking and rolling, not to mention bucket loads of rain that made following club rugby from the sidelines last weekend a sodden and cold experience .

While late summer and early autumn rugby is about throwing the ball around with abandon and backlines exploding into action, June and July sees forward attacks and grinding out wins in the wet.

A Baywide Development game in the Eastern Bay of Plenty saw an old-fashioned 3-0 scoreline as Opotiki earned a hard fought win. With the coming inclement weather, there will be plenty more close encounters fought out by the opposing forward packs.

In the Baywide Premier title race there is a long jam in the middle of the pack.

While Tauranga Sports sits astride the standings with 20 points and Te Puke Sports lurk just two points back, there is a logjam in the chasing pack.

There is just five points separating Whakarewarewa, Whakatane Marist, Rangataua, Mount Maunganui, Rotoiti and Te Puna, with Greerton Marist still in the hunt after posting 60 unanswered points against Waikite on the weekend.

Saturday July 11 is judgment day, where the top four finishers in the eleven round preliminary shootout will advance to the play-offs before the winner has the right to lift the Baywide big prize aloft in victory.

The great leveler in the fight for the top four is the depths of winter where cold dressing rooms, arctic-like condition out on the playing field and balls that appear to be coated in grease turn many matches into games of attrition.

A read of the formbook suggests that multiple Baywide premier titleholders Tauranga Sports and 2011 and 2012 champions Te Puke Sports should both make the play-offs. However, the fight for the two remaining places will be decided in battles at several rugby fortresses scattered around the Bay.

Western Bay sides always have to battle to bring home points from the fortress at Emery Park on the shores of Lake Rotoiti, while cramped changing rooms at Opotiki's headquarters in the Eastern Bay are always a challenge to be faced in midwinter.

This seasons Baywide competitions have attracted crowds of 600-plus passionate fans supporting their favourites at premier team grounds throughout the Western Bay. However, Sideline Sid believes there is a big fishhook in this year's top tier format.

Last week, all six Western Bay contenders played at home, while this week the only Western Bay of Plenty game is at Maramatanga Park, where Te Puna hosts Mount Maunganui.

It is also the second occasion that the Mount have had to journey to Te Puna's headquarters this season, after the Western Bay match-up was played at Maramatanga Park.

This is the second time in three weeks that no premier games have been played at grounds within Tauranga City's confines. While the true blue team supporters don't hesitate to hit the road, the lack of games in the city leaves a void for the casual rugby watcher.