Colts rugby returns to a Western Bay competition this Saturday before the local sides join the Eastern and Rotorua contenders for the Baywide championship which kicks off in the second weekend in May.
Six local contenders will start the chase for the Ike Tangitu Cup, which is awarded to theColts champions each season, and will meet in head-to-head competition over the next five weeks.
To give the local rounds an extra edge, the Western Bay Challenge prize of the Oliver Cup - held by Te Puna - will be on the line in each round.
Last year's Western Bay Colts titleholders, Mount Maunganui, will start the chase for back-to-back Colts crowns with a home match at Blake Park against Te Puke Sports. Both clubs provide a genuine pathway to their senior ranks, with the Baywide stars of the future cutting their teeth in the annual age group competitions.
A battle of attrition is likely to take place at Greerton Park, where the home side will square off against 2012 Baywide champions Te Puna. While Greerton are always competitive in the Colts competitions, Te Puna put up a Herculean effort to grab the Baywide crown at the 2012 Finals Day at the Tauranga Domain. Trailing Tauranga Sports by 10 points at the halftime break, Te Puna scored 20 points in the second spell to triumph 20-15.
Te Puna will put the Oliver Cup on the line at Greerton Park on Saturday.
The unknown quantity in the new Western Bay Colts competition is Katikati, who have an age group team for just the second time in the last decade. They face a stern first up challenge, travelling to play last year's Baywide runner-up Tauranga Sports at the Tauranga Domain.
