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

An amazing sporting feat was posted on SunLive on Monday could have slipped under the radar of many readers.

The win of Papamoa Surf Club athletes Jackson Edwards, Seth Merrett and Michael Bryant, in the under-17 ski relay at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships over the weekend, was truly amazing.

While surf lifesaving has some profile in New Zealand with the National Surf League, over the ditch it attracts huge numbers. Thousands of surf athletes converged on the Gold Coast last week, including contingents from the Mount Maunganui, Omanu and Papamoa clubs.

One of the glamour events at the Aussie Nationals is always the surf ski races. To snatch gold from the rising surf ski stars in Australia, ranks them as arguably the best trio of Under 17 surf ski paddlers in the world at present.

Another Papamoa surf athlete to give the Aussies a blood nose, was beach sprinter extraordinaire Kodi Harmen. The fleet as the wind Papamoa Athlete blitzed the open men's beach sprint title. Kodi then added the under-19 beach relay title when he joined Danny Kayes, Hamish Smith and Jordan Hills in the Papamoa relay team.

The unprecedented three gold and two silver medals to the Papamoa team, would have been just an idle dream even ten years ago. Around a decade ago the three clubs on the best stretch of beach in the country, got serious about surf sport and individually appointed professional surf sport coaches.

Coupled with long term planning, the Papamoa dream came true over the last week. The Western Bay club proved that they can beat the best in Australia, with hard work and a solid preparation, from a New Zealand base.

The best surf athletes in New Zealand no longer treat their sport as a summer fill-in, but train and prepare twelve months of the year. Regular trips across the Tasman for training and competition, are part and parcel of getting to the top in a sport, that was dominated by Australia.

Winning is based upon a number of different positives that include attitude, self-belief and understanding the game. Sideline Sid saw two great examples on his excursions around Western Bay sport last weekend.

The Bay Cricket Oval hosted the final of the Baywide Twenty20 cricket championship. Tauranga Boys' College made sure that there 2011/12 season didn't go un-rewarded when they grabbed the T20 title.

After batting first and posting 163/5, their bowlers cut loose to roll Rotorua Central for just 68. Henry Conway scythed his way through the Central batsmen taking four wickets, Tom McRury grabbed three bowling scalps, with Tom Clout chiming in with two wickets. The Tauranga student's victory continued the outstanding success of the Tauranga Boys cricket pathway in the last decade.

Rotoiti, showed that they will be genuine Baywide premier rugby contenders, when they blasted Rangataua away 58-14 at Te Ariki Park. The Rotorua lakesiders, who have been only there abouts in championship contention in recent seasons, have undergone a new lease of life with Bay Rugby legend Wayne Ormond, returning to his roots to play and co-coach the team.

Ormond has been an inspiration in the short time he has been back in the Rotoiti ranks, with the team rejoicing in both self-belief and a newfound determination. Winner's need a edge, and Rotoiti appear to have found it in spades with Wayne Ormond returning to his roots to lead from the front.

Seeya at the Game.