Sideline Sid - Sports blogger Sideline Sid is a local sport fanatic. Not only is he a classic rugby bloke but he has views, opinions and knowledge on all sports played in the Bay of Plenty.

Two major emotions are part of sport, whether it be international contests or grassroots club competition in the Western Bay of Plenty
Expectations of success, and the reality of results, are two of the key factors that bind players and teams together.

In the Bay of Plenty, regional and inter-city rivalry adds an additional piece to the puzzle between winning and losing.
With the change of codes as summer cools to winter – Sidline Sid thought he would look at the Baywide winners and losers in cricket and try and predict the same in the coming Baywide rugby season.
Baywide competition takes centre stage in the premier cricket season, with three pieces of silverware on the line. Eighty years of history are displayed on the Williams Cup, which has always been the symbol of Baywide premier club cricket superiority.
Otumoetai Cadets won their ninth Williams Cup in 15 years, when they got past Mount Maunganui in the final stanza in late January. While the Tauranga Domain based club has been around for some 30 plus years, they have become one of the Baywide real heavyweights in the past decade and a half.
With just two weeks remaining in the cricket season, the BOP Cup, which is the Baywide second round trophy, is down to the final contenders. Also at stake is the Hart Family trophy, awarded the combined winner of the Williams and BOP Cup competitions.
The BOP Cup and the Hart Family Trophy should join the Williams Cup in the Western Bay of Plenty. Rotorua side Eastern Pirates are just a solitary point behind competition leaders Tauranga Boys' College in the BOP Cup. However, Pirates will sit out the bye this weekend, which should drop them down the points ladder.
Mount Maunganui and Cadets are snapping at the heels of the leaders and are both strong contenders for the Hart Family Trophy

As the cricket season concludes on the last Saturday in March – expectations will be high as the Baywide rugby season kicks off on the same day.
While we are all parochial in our expectations, the results often bring us down to ground level with a thud. Last year's Baywide finals at the Tauranga Domain provided just such a bumpy landing for some of the Western Bay supporters on hand.
With a Western Bay team/s in five of the six finals on show, expectations for local success were high.
In the top echelon home team Tauranga Sports didn't disappoint, and won a real battle with Te Puke Sports, before lifting aloft their third successive Baywide Premier Trophy.
A return to Bay of Plenty club rugby by Katikati also resulted in triumph, when they defeated Waimana in the Baywide Division Three final – with Rangiuru annexing their first piece of Baywide silverware in the Div Two final.
However, expectations of victory turned to the despair of defeat for Te Puna and Te Puke Colts in their respective grand final appearances.
This season the usual suspects look to hold centre stage in the top echelon. Tauranga and Te Puke Sports should fly the Western Bay flag, with Whakarewarewa and Rotoiti in the forefront of the Rotorua contenders, with Whakatane Marist and Opotiki likely to make some waves during the season.

Seeya at the Game.