The Bay's first-innings loss away to Taranaki on November 30 was always going to come back to bite them on the backside and it did yesterday, the teeth puncture marks beginning to throb.
Sinclair was a notable absentee at that game at Pukekura Park because he had opted to join the television commentary team during a round of the Georgie Pie Super Smash Twenty20 at McLean Park, Napier.
Furthermore, the Bay were found guilty of taking one too many overseas imports to that game - Sri Lankan Indika Senarathne catching a flight back to Napier while English wicketkeeper Luke Kenworthy stayed behind.
Sinclair said Taranaki were "bitching and belly-aching about overseas players, come on", depriving top players in the provinces from competing.
The rules pertaining to overseas players were unclear and also needed fixing up.
He questioned the absence of elite players in Manawatu at the weekend against Taranaki.
"Were they trying to throw the game?"
He suspected Manawatu had closer affiliation with Taranaki than the Bay and both sides would be hoping the CD Stags would lose on Wednesday in their Ford Trophy playoff against the Otago Volts in New Plymouth so they could bolster their ranks.
Sinclair said Wairarapa, Wanganui and Horowhenua-Kapiti weren't cutting it at cup level.
"They are getting [thumped] every time and it's not doing our cricket any good. I got nothing out of it.
"We scored 350 [against Wairarapa] and bowled them out twice in less than a day. That's not cricket."
The Bay have registered four outright victories this summer and Sinclair was adamant the struggling teams went back home wondering what they were doing competing against the top-three cup sides.
On Saturday, Bay wicketkeeper Scott Schaw carved up an unbeaten 100 runs from 93 balls, including 12 boundaries and four sixes.
"Scott played brilliantly but it won't count for nothing because it's against Wairarapa."
Sinclair singled out New Zealand under-17 paper team representative Christian Leopard for his bowling although the teenager regards himself as a batsman who can bowl.
"I haven't even seen him bat yet," he said, emphasising that if Wairarapa weren't understrength Leopard would most likely have got a fair chance to display his entire range of skills.
Leopard, who took 3-20 in the second dig from nine overs, including five maidens, opened bowling after Charlie Robson picked up a side strain.
Sinclair suggested a two-level, four-tier competition where Manawatu, Taranaki and the Bay played each other while the remaining three either challenged each other to earn the right to make the fourth team or, alternatively, the lower tier sides form a composite side.
The top sides should play home-and-away rounds of matches to decide who should be cup challengers.
It was disturbing that the Bay had great wickets but weren't feeding domestic-quality players to CD, he said.
Sinclair, who wasn't sure if he would return as player/coach next summer because of his new occupation as a real estate agent, said it was time for HB Cricket to appoint a high-performance manager to address that.
