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

The Bay of Plenty club rugby competition kicked off last Saturday with the first round of the premier and development title races.

As is usual at the start of the season, there is plenty of expectation of success trumpeted by coaches and team management.

While all is bright in the hazy autumn start to the Bay of Plenty club rugby season, the reality is that the real charge for victory takes place during the rain and sleet of mid winter.

With injuries taking their toll during June and July, it's the clubs with strong back-up from their second string sides that will make the playoffs.

Perusal of premier team lists showed plenty of new faces lining up this season.

Te Puke Sports provided a good example of players changes, with four debutants starting the game against Greerton Marist and another four on the bench.

Whakatane Marist, who led the way for much of the first half of last season, seems to have lost many of their Fijian contingent.

A big local derby opened the season in the Eastern Bay, with Paroa beating arch rivals Whakatane Marist.

In the Western Bay, 2016 premier title champions Rangataua won a arm wrestle with Mount Maunganui in a replay of last year's Baywide final.

Perennial premier championship contenders Tauranga Sports had a good battle with Arataki before prevailing, with Te Puke Sports putting forty odd points on Greerton in the first half.

In the Sulphur City, Whakarewarewa held on to beat Te Puna. The Whaka win would have heartened their supporters, who had to endure a miserable time last year, where their side was relegated to the premier two championship in the second half of the season. 

With the cricket season coming to a close, the summer and winter sports codes cross paths at Blake Park on Saturday.

There will be a large contingent of rugby fans on hand at the Sir Gordon Tietjens field, when Mount Maunganui and long-time rivals Te Puke Sports lock horns in premier and development competition. 

Surrounding the Blake Park rugby encounters, the Bay Oval and two other wickets will host the Baywide and Western Bay of Plenty cricket championship finales.

The Williams Cup, which can trace its origins back to the early 1930's, will be decided on the Bay Oval between the two heavyweights of Bay of Plenty Cricket, in the last couple of decades.

Mount Maunganui and Cadets will be squaring off for the sixth time this season, with the Baywide Championship and season bragging rights firmly on the line.

Last Saturday, Cadets took advantage of a seaming wicket to bowl the Mount out for 113, and then get home with seven wickets to spare in the major semi-final.

Mount Maunganui earned another shot at their arch rivals, when the defeated Te Puke in the Williams Cup preliminary final last Sunday.

The Williams Cup Final looks even stevens on the wicket at the Bay of Plenty international cricket ground, which has produced an avalanche of runs in the last six months.

The Western Bay of Plenty Reserve Grade championship, will be fought out between two teams from outside the region, who play in the local competition by invitation.

Lake Taupo Cricket Club, will endeavour to preserve their unbeaten Western Bay season record, when they square off with Whakatane United.

The Western Bay B Grade championship title will be contested by the Singh XI from Te Puke and Tauranga Boys' College third eleven.