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

Bay of Plenty Cricket secured a Hawke Cup Direct Challenge when they hammered Northland in enemy territory over Auckland Anniversary weekend.

Playing their first representative game of the season due to Covid 19 interruptions, Bay of Plenty made no race of their Fergus Hickey Rosebowl fixture, with a massive 210 run first innings victory.

The visitors made the right call after winning the toss, in electing to bat.

Bharat Popli worked his way to 121 runs before being dismissed, while fellow ND contracted player Brett Hampton posted 86 runs in the book.

After batting all day on day one, Bay of Plenty were bowled out for 373 early on the second day.

With first innings points enough to earn a Hawke Cup Direct Challenge against Hawke's Bay, the visiting bowlers ripped into proceedings in deadly earnest.

Bay of Plenty bowler Tim Pringle, 19, was the hero of the BOP's turn in the field taking five wickets at a cost of 53 runs, to give Bay of Plenty their 35th Hawke Cup Direct Challenge.

It is interesting to cast an eye over some of New Zealand's oldest major sporting trophies.

The likes of the Ranfurly Shield and the Plunket Shield were donated by the country's Governor Generals in a display of unity between England and her colony, with little reference to the sporting achievements of the donor.

Not so the Hawke Cup.

The Hawke Cup, which is the symbol of Minor Association cricket superiority in New Zealand, was presented by Lord Hawke in 1910.

Martin Bladen Hawke, Seventh Baron Hawke of Towton, was the father of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

Lord Hawke strode the cricketing world like a colossus for half a century, as a player and administrator and one who played a major part in the modernisation of the game.

He was a keen advocate of overseas tours, a strict disciplinarian and a determined upholder of the games traditions.

His first class career spanned 31 years (1881-1911/12) and he captained Yorkshire for 28 years.

Lord Hawke led Yorkshire to eight championship titles and captained England on four occasions.

He was MCC President, served on the Cricket Committee and became Chairman of the Test selectors.

The entree to the Bay of Plenty Hawke Cup Direct Challenge last weekend showed that the team had quickly shed the rust of inactivity, with three significant individual milestones achieved.

Master-blaster Bharat Popli extended his lead in Bay of Plenty senior representative centuries to thirteen.

Such is his superiority with his willow weapon, that he is five ahead of Northern Districts captain Joe Carter with a street back to the next best.

Popli is standing on the cusp of becoming the highest Bay of Plenty runscorer, since the Bay played their first NZ Cricket representative encounter, in 1932.

He is just 12 runs away from overtaking BOP cricket legend Michael John Wright's all time record of 3950, and within touching distance of becoming the first to claim 4000 runs to his name.

Tim Pringle's five wicket bag saw him become the youngest BOP bowler to reach the 50 wickets milestone.

The other BOP bowler to break through the 50 wicket barrier was long serving all-rounder Peter Drysdale.

With an invaluable mix of experience and youth in the current squad, the Bay of Plenty side is eying holding the big prize aloft in triumph for the 17th time, when they take on current Hawke Cup holder Hawkes Bay next week