The Bay of Plenty Development team has the opportunity to take the lead in the Northern Districts Basil McBurney Development competition.

The Bay second XI will play against its Waikato Valley and Northland counterparts in Hamilton during the Auckland Anniversary holiday break.

In their first outing of the season in November 2011, the Bay side impressed when they comprehensively defeated archrival Counties Manukau in the Counties backyard.

After restricting their opponents to 194/9, the Bay team cruised to a seven-wicket victory.

Today the Bay of Plenty representatives in the annual ND Development championship will face Waikato Valley.

They will back up the following day when they meet Northland, with both games scheduled for Jansen Park in Hamilton.

The Bay of Plenty selectors have continued to choose a young side of promising talent – with an experienced Bay first team player captaining the side.

Skipper Dale Swan has played nearly 20 games for the Bay of Plenty first XI in the Fergus Hickey Rosebowl competition.

A feature of the team is that the majority of players have progressed along the Bay of Plenty Cricket pathway from secondary school to senior representative cricket.

Eastern Bay selection Pip Thickpenny has performed with bat and ball for Trident High School and Bay age group sides, before making his Development team debut.

Elliot Timoti, Josh Dwight and Tom Clout, were all members of this season's Tauranga Boys' College first XI that played in the Gillette Cup Nation final in December 2011.

Bay of Plenty Development Team v Waikato Valley @ Jansen Park, Hamilton

Dale Swan (captain) Mitch McCann, Joe Carter, Elliott Timoti, Tim Clarke, Shane Wineti, Sean Davey, Josh Dwight, Thomas Clout, Campbell Thomas (Western BOP) Pip Thickpenny (Eastern BOP) Andrew Gibbs (Rotorua)

Bay of Plenty Development Team v Northland @ Jansen Park, Hamilton

Brian Jurisich, Scott Steward (Western BOP) Swan, McCann, Timoti, Clarke, Wineti, Thickpenny, Davey, Dwight, Clout, Thomas.