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

April has produced some never-to-be-forgotten milestones for four Western Bay of Plenty cricket players.

In the month where cricket gear has been stowed away for the winter and rugby boots shined up for the coming season - one of the rising stars of women's cricket received a big award and three Bay of Plenty players moved up to make their first class debut.

Nensi Patel has been making headlines ever since her Northern Districts Women's side debut, while attending Tauranga Intermediate School during the 2016-17 cricket season.

One of the youngest ever players to make a major association competition debut, she quickly justified her selection with twelve appearances, taking 12 wickets with a best of 4/19.

At just 19 years of age, Patel has made 65 appearances for the Northern Spirit and Northern Brave.

The all-rounder has posted 455 runs and taken 64 wickets in One-Day and T20 action over the last five seasons.

The 2021-22 cricket year has been Patel's breakout season, being named the best Women's Domestic player in the country.

The NZ Cricket website reported "The Women's Domestic Player of the Year went to Northern Brave spinning all-rounder, Nensi Patel, on the back of her strong form across the Dream 11 Super Smash and Hallyburton Johnstone Shield competitions. 11 wickets in the former and 18 at a 17.83 (average) to top the wicket-taking charts in the latter".

Kiwi cricket fans sat up and took notice when Patel took a coveted six wicket bag in the Braves Hallyburton Johnstone match-up with the Auckland Hearts.

Her career best haul of six wickets at a cost of 25 runs, saw Patel decimate the Auckland innings with her first wicket at 130/4, before grabbing the last five bowling scalps to remove the Hearts for 185.

The fallout from the White Ferns failing to qualify for the recent Women's Cricket World Cup, opens the door for the next group of young players to book their berths in the national side.

To this commentator on the sideline it seems is it only a matter of time that Nensi Patel's name is read out in a White Ferns team announcement.

An early April Covid stand down for seven ND major association players, gave a sudden call-up for three Bay of Plenty players to top level cricket combat.

Long serving BOP all-rounder Peter Drysdale was joined by keeper Ben Pomare and Fergus Lellman in making their NZ Cricket first class debuts.

The Plunket Shield encounter that kicked-off between Northern Districts and Wellington on the April 6, saw the three BOP players join a NZ Cricket First Class list that dates back to the 1880's and beyond.

While the three BOP ND debutants were on the wrong end of the result, they all made their mark in the game played at Cobham Oval in the far north.

Drysdale showed his class with a fighting knock of 62 off 89 balls, including five four's and one six, when he came in with ND in desperate trouble at 4/32 in his sides second turn at bat.

Drysdale finally made his major association side entrance, after ND selection two seasons ago was stymied by the start of the Covid pandemic.

Thrust into the furnace of opening his team's innings, Fergus Lellman hit a solid 20 runs before being caught and bowled by Black Cap Rachin Ravindra.

Wicketkeeper Ben Pomare showed he was well up to the challenges of four-day cricket, effecting two stumpings and taking two catches.

The Bay of Plenty trio have waved the flag of readiness for New Zealand Domestic cricket competition in the ND selectors' vision, and advanced their cause for further selection in the future.