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

If there was any doubt that rugby is the game of the Western Bay of Plenty, those doubts were well and truly put to bed last Saturday, when three Baywide Club Rugby Finals were played out at Murray Salt Stadium and Centennial Park in Te Puke.

Latecomers faced a long walk, as the streets surrounding the two Te Puke Parks quickly filled up with Western Bay rugby fans turning up in their droves.

The Western Bay shutout of Eastern Bay and Rotorua teams in the Premier, Division One and Development title deciders, ensured massive local support for the six title contenders.

One can only say that Te Puke rugby punched above its weight this season, with their teams finishing as top qualifiers in the season-long round-robin competition, before winning their respective semi-finals to earn home venue advantage last weekend.

Te Puke Sports squared off against arch rivals Tauranga Sports in the main event for the right to lift the Baywide Premier trophy.

Both clubs have an impressive history in the competition since the dawn of the new Millennium. Tauranga Sports were chasing their eighth title since 1999, with Te Puke Sports after their third Baywide crown after back-to-back success in 2011 and 2012.

The Tauranga visitors well and truly put the mauling by Te Puke Sports three weeks prior to the title decider in the bin, when they led for the last three quarters of the encounter to post a 26-14 win after leading 19-11 at the half-way break in play.

This grey-headed local rugby commentator was at Centennial Park to catch the Division One playoff between Rangiuru and Arataki.

He was hugely impressed by the facilities that have been put in place at Centennial Park in just a few short years. The ground was jam-packed with loyal and passionate supporters from both clubs as the two teams ran out to commence battle.

After a few initial errors in the opening quarter, the game settled down into a clash befitting a Baywide title decider.

While Arataki finally prevailed 14-9 after holding an 11-6 advantage at half-time, the solitary try by Mount skipper Marty Bourke reflected a match where superb defence from both teams took centre stage.

The Baywide Development Final at Murray Salt Stadium, between Te Puke Sports and Tauranga Sports, was an absolute barn-burner.

The last ten minutes had both sides' supporters on their feet, as Tauranga Sports reached the lead, before Te Puke Sports came back with a try in the closing minutes.

A Tauranga Sports penalty attempt from the sideline right on full time, which would have taken the game into an extra twenty minutes, hit the post.

The nail biting 16-13 win to Te Puke Sports gave them the distinction of being the only unbeaten team in the 2015 Baywide competitions.

However the rugby boots won't be put away for many of the Western Bay senior club players just yet.

Maori trophy games will get plenty of attention in the region during August, while a Western Bay of Plenty Sub-Union representative side will play in the Stan Meads Cup Mid North Island Sub-Union competition.

Then just when summer is approaching, the call will go out from clubs for players to prepare for the pre-Christmas Sevens club circuit.