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

While most people count sheep to go to sleep, Sideline Sid found himself counting cricket balls at night during the recent long weekend.

Three days of cricket watching resulted in Sid dreaming about runs and wickets.

On Saturday, Greerton finally nailed three games in a row to look like genuine contenders in the prestigious Williams Cup competition.

While Greerton has had the long-time Baywide Premier trophy in their trophy cabinet – one has to go back to the 1984 and 85 seasons to find when the Greerton club won the prestigious piece of Bay of Plenty Cricket silverware.

The Williams Cup was first contested in the 1932-33 season, a year after Bay of Plenty became affiliated to New Zealand Cricket.

The first name engraved on the symbol of Baywide premier cricket supremacy, is the City Cricket Club from Rotorua, which is one of many clubs to have come and gone in the Williams Cup over the years.

Inconsistency has blighted the Pemberton Park based premier team in the last decade. While they have often scrapped into the Williams Cup semi-finals, they have never really looked likely to hold aloft the trophy in triumph.

However on Saturday they continued their unbeaten start to the 2012 race for the Baywide trophy, defeating Te Puke in a good battle.

The move to Greerton by several Tauranga Boys' College first XI players, and the inclusion of three Dutch Academy players this season, has strengthened the team's resolve.

Last weekend's game highlighted the impact that the new recruits are having. Dutchman James Gruiters top scored, with former Tauranga Boys' players Shane Wineti and Brett Hampton also getting amongst the runs.

In the bowling ranks, Dutch bowler Sebastiaan Bratt was in fine form taking three wickets.

However, it was left to long serving medium pace bowler Murray Jarvis, to produce the best bowling figures for his team.

Jarvis is loyalty personified, having turned out for the Greerton premier side for over twenty seasons without a break.

On Sunday and Monday, cricket watching duties encompassed sitting on the sideline in Hamilton, of the two Bay of Plenty Development team matches in the ND Development competition.

Expectations were high after the Bay side had posted a comprehensive first up win over Counties Manukau.

However, few would have imagined the damage, which was dominated by Western Bay players, would be inflicted on the two opposition teams.

On Sunday Waikato Valley never got past first base as they were rolled for just 75.

Tom Clout and Sean Davey, who are recent graduates of the Tauranga Boys' College cricket pathway, took three wickets apiece.

Another former Tauranga Boys' student in Joe Carter led the way with the bat posting 43 runs, as the Bay side cruised to a seven wicket victory.

Against a Northland team stacked with senior rep players, the Bay boys didn't falter once they had Northland under pressure.

At five down for 50-odd runs the Bay of Plenty bowlers were in charge and dismissed the team from the far north for 154.

Tommy Clout backed up his first day bowling performance taking four wickets for just 22 runs.

In what can only be termed a superb batting performance, the Bay of Plenty opening pair of Tim Clarke (79no) and Mitch McCann (59no) both carried their bats, hammering Northland without losing a wicket.

Only a home game against Hamilton in February stands between the Bay of Plenty side annexing the Basil McBurney trophy, for the first time for a number of seasons.

Seeya at the Game