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

When the sun rose on a beautiful winter day last Saturday morning, few Bay of Plenty rugby followers would have foreseen the drama that would be played out in the last round of Baywide qualification.

Rangataua and Greerton Marist from the Western Bay joined Rotorua sides Whakarewarewa and Rotoiti, in the battle for the last three places in the Baywide Premier One championship.

Rangataua took care of their own destiny, beating Te Puna at Maramatanga Park to grab sixth place in the qualifying competition.

The Maungatapu-based winners had to come from a four point deficit at half time, to take home a 15-12 victory.

The Rotoiti verses Greerton Marist clash on the shores on Lake Rotoiti, with the winner guaranteed the prize of a Premier One berth, was also a nail biter.

While the home side grabbed a dramatic 30-28 win, Greerton Marist posted a bonus point for finishing within seven.

With a solitary Premier One spot remaining, attention then turned to the Whakarewarewa encounter with Paroa in the Sulphur City.

Whaka beat the Eastern Bay cellar dwellers 35-24 and also picked up an extra point for four tries (or better), to finish on 27 points, which tied them with Greerton Marist.

However, Greerton Marist grabbed the last top echelon place courtesy of a hard fought 22-20 win over Whakarewarewa the previous weekend.

There was even more high drama in Baywide Division One qualifying with four spots in the Premier Two championship on the line.

Entering round 11 of the qualifying comp, Western Bay representatives Rangiuru and Judea were sitting in third and fourth place.

Waikite eliminated Te Teko from contention with a 32-12 victory.

Competition leaders Ngongotaha knocked Judea out of contention with a 31-22 win, with Rangiuru falling to Poroporo 34-15 at Centennial Park in Te Puke.

Marist St Michaels came from sixth on the standing, to take out a bonus point win over Kahukura and tie with Rangiuru on the points table.

The Te Puke side could only rue their round six loss to St Michaels, which allowed St Mikes to sneak through and take the last Premier Two place.

What made the Marist St Michaels Premier Two berth even more remarkable, was they sat at the bottom of the standing after the first four rounds, without a victory.

After the high action of the weekend, Sideline Sid has done some crystal ball gazing to try and sort out the respective Baywide champions.

With biting cold wet weather and team injury tolls during June and July, there will be plenty of battles of attrition, before the Baywide champions are crowned on the first Saturday in August.

My Premier One pick is Mount Maungnui, with Whakatane Marist and Te Puna as longshots to make the title decider.

Rotoiti is another team that digs deep on the big occasions and makes their base at Emery Park a fortress when visitors arrive.

Premier Two is likely to be won by Whakarewarewa, who are in the unfamiliar territory of the second tier of Baywide rugby for the first time.

Rangiuru and Judea could make no race of the Division One championship and should be odds on favourites to meet in the title decider.

A pleasing part of the Div One draw is the promotion of Edgecumbe from Eastern Bay regional rugby, which eliminates the dreaded bye that plagued the Division One qualifying rounds.

Next weekend also kicks off the Baywide Division Two championship, which gives Western, Eastern and Central (Rotorua) Sub-Union sides, the chance to play Baywide rugby next year.

Eastern Districts will represent the Western Bay of Plenty and could be a good chance off the back of some solid form in the Western Bay competition.