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

A wide range of emotions will accompany a myriad of Western Bay youngsters who are participating in the annual Hawke's Bay Cricket junior representative cricket competitions.

The Hawke's Bay Cricket tournaments date back to 1979 and have become a very successful breeding ground for elite cricketers in the country.

The Hawke's Bay tournaments roll of honour includes Ross Taylor, Jeetan Patel, Jacob Oram, current England captain Ben Stokes and Women's Internationals Sophie Devine and Amelia Kerr.

Notable Western Bay of Plenty representatives are Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell and new rising star Tim Pringle.

The recurring success of the Hawke's Bay junior pathway competitions can be attributed to the range of age groups that kick off with Year 4-5 youngsters and continue on to Year 10 and above.

Wide-eyed enthusiasm were part of the emotions of the two Western Bay of Plenty Year 4-5 teams that batted, bowled and fielded, on three successive days last week.

The vast majority of the Year 4-5 players were experiencing their first time away from home without parents in close attendance.

Staying together in shared accommodation is a daunting prospect in their first 24 hours in Hawke's Bay.

Part of the Western Bay of Plenty Cricket sense of belonging to their team, is provided by the group decision choosing team names.

The two Western Bay Year 4-5 sides went for New Zealand cricket heroes selecting Team Southee and Sodhi.

The "Riverbend" tournaments, so-called because of the name of the major Hawke's Bay facility, also provide a competitive cricket environment for the more senior participants who harbor elite cricket ambitions.

Western Bay of Plenty Cricket invests considerable resources in the annual Hawke's Bay junior cricket migration.

The Hawke's Bay Cricket tournament focus is on equitable on-field opportunities and a supportive fun environment off the field of play.

With a philosophy based upon opportunity and development, all Western Bay youngsters get an equal opportunity to bat and bowl at the top and bottom of each innings.

Individual goals are achieved in improved batting, bowling and fielding skills, while building game sense and an understanding of cricket strategy.

Cooperation and teamwork along with the development of life skills such as resilience, grit, self-reflection and empathy, are important outcomes of the "Riverbend" experience.

A recent increase in age-group cricket numbers in WBOPCA senior men's cricket, which include three Tauranga Boys' College and two Aquinas College sides, has become another valuable component in the Western Bay of Plenty Cricket youth pathway.

Running concurrently to 'Riverbend”, is the NZC National Under 19 cricket tournament, where several Western Bay of Plenty young men, are participating at a couple of steps up the pathway ladder, from the Hawke's Bay tournament.

Billy Syme and Sam Lund, who were plucked from the ranks of the Tauranga Boys' College First XI to wear the Bay of Plenty senior men's team uniform last year, provide tangible evidence of the rapid elevation of talent, from such as the Hawke's Bay age-group cricket festival.

The universal seal of approval, from the young players and large band of supporters that accompany the Western Bay junior cricket army to Hawke's Bay, looks set to ensure the tournaments continue as a major step on the Western Bay of Plenty Cricket junior and youth pathway.