This Saturday brings the start of the Baywide cricket championship, which decides the best premier club side in the Bay of Plenty, by way of a round robin followed by semi-finals and a grand final.
The prize at stake in the Baywide competition is the Williams Cup, which was first won for the first time by the City Club from Rotorua in the 1931/32 season.

The trophy is typical of the era, being a reasonably large silver cup. Many trophies from that era have a high replacement value today because of the high silver content.
In the 1950s the cup was valued at in excess of £3000. However, money is not what such a prestigious trophy is about, as the winners' inscriptions tell tales of top-level club cricket superiority in the Bay of Plenty.
Western Bay clubs have had plenty of success over the eight decades that the Williams Cup has been contested. In the mid 1930s Albion won the cup three years in a row from the 1936/37, season followed by a three peat from Te Puke into the war years.
Te Puke holds the record for the number of victories, while in recent seasons Otumoetai Cadets, took a stranglehold on the trophy winning eight times in 12 seasons. History was made earlier this year, when Tauranga Boys' College became the first secondary school side to lift aloft the Williams Cup in triumph.
However, it is crystal ball time as Sideline Sid attempts to look into the future, and predict this season's winner. Being strongly parochial I am predicting at least three Western Bay teams to make the semi-finals. Mount Maunganui deserves to be favourite after winning the Western Bay one-day title last weekend, with an unbeaten record.
Otumoetai Cadets have been one of the Bay of Plenty club cricket heavyweights in the last two decades. However, they can be vulnerable, as they will lose a number of players to Bay representative duty during the competition.
My pick to win the trophy this season is a bit of a long shot. The Te Puke team has fallen off the pace in the last couple of seasons, however, their form in the last few weeks has been awesome. Even without New Zealand Cricket rising star Kane Williamson (who blasted 173 against Greerton last weekend) the side has plenty of emerging young talent.
In my book the last semi-spot will be a race between East Bay United from the Eastern Bay, with Rotorua sides Central and Eastern Pirates also chasing a top four finish. While I could not find a place for Tauranga Boys' College or Greerton in my post section play predictions, they will both be competitive and will play with plenty of pride and passion. Rounding out the Williams Cup field will be a young Rotorua Boys' High side.
Talking of fields brings me to today, which is the first Tuesday in November. The Melbourne Cup takes centre stage, with a huge number of punters having their one bet a year. Once again it is crystal ball time as we try to pick this year's winner
I have always been a huge fan of the Cups' maestro Bart Cummings, and was on course when he won his third Melbourne Cup, with Red Handed in 1967. My pick to win is Roman Emperor who is trained by the maestro and ran second in the Caulfield Cup, which is considered the best lead-up race to the big prize.
Others in my frame are New Zealand bred Master O'Reilly and number 24 Leica Ding.