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

The sight of Black Caps' bowlers Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Mark Craig along with keeper BJ Watling in the grass nets the Bay Oval last week, suggested that the new cricket season was just around the corner.

During the last couple of seasons there have been numerous flying visits from various New Zealand cricket players, who come to the Western Bay to utilize the practice facilities at Blake Park.

In tandem with the development of the two international class grounds at the Bay Oval, has been the installation of grass nets.

The grass practice wicket blocks are unique in the country in that they provide virtually 12 months of the year use. First Class teams from within New Zealand, have been quick to recognise the benefits of training at Blake Park during the off season.

Prior to the Champions League, which matched the best 20/20 teams in head to head annual competition, being discarded, the New Zealand representatives would come to the Western Bay of Plenty to prepare in late August.

From the take-end of winter, teams and players will come and go as they prepare for the battles of professional cricket this season.

Northern Districts base most of their spring training at the Bay Oval and play warm-up matches a couple of months out from the start of the regular season.

A mixture of good East Coast weather and the free draining soil of the Blake Park international wickets, give the Western Bay ground a head start in early season preparation, which other regions don't have.

The coming season will again bring international cricket to the Bay Oval for the third successive year - following on from South Africa and Sri Lanka in 2014 and 2015.

Bangladesh, who has cast aside their minnow status in recent years, will play two T20 encounters against the Black Caps during early January 2017.

The Bay Oval looks likely to cement regular international contests at the height of the holiday season, following this year's two sell-out games against Sri Lanka.

There will also be NZ Cricket Major Association matches at the Bay Oval and the likelihood of international women's cricket, after the outstanding three game series between the White Ferns and Australian Women, in February.

The ANZ series was extremely competitive, with the visitors playing catch-up to win the three match shootout, after losing the first game.

Three centuries during the women's internationals showed that the Bay Oval rewards good batting in spades.

There is also plenty of attraction for the bowlers, with line and length bowing rewarded with wickets.

Bay of Plenty are the current NZ Cricket Hawke Cup holders and will endeavour to hold on to long time minor association prize, at the Bay Oval in the second half of next season. Bay of Plenty, won the Hawke Cup for the fifth time since there first Hawke Cup Direct Challenge in 1932, earlier this year.

They took the trophy from the grip of Hawke's Bay, in an encounter that went to the end of the fourth innings.

With the game going down to the wire, Ben Musgrave stepped up and blasted a century to see the Bay return home with prized Hawke Cup.

Bay of Plenty have become the dominant force in ND and minor association cricket in the country in the last decade.

The dominance has been built upon a pathway that identifies and develops promising youngsters with the lure of professional cricket for the best.

The relationship between the Bay of Plenty Cricket pathway and one of the best wicket blocks and grass nets in the country looks to cement our regions place as the best Minor Association in New Zealand, well into the future.