Rugby
Number one-ranked Rotorua club rugby side Whakarewarewa get their season under way tomorrow when they take on Ngongotaha in the semifinal of the Banner Round.
Due to their ranking, Whaka were given a bye last weekend for the club rugby pre-season competition.
The black and reds take on a young and enthusiastic Ngongotaha side, who won their match last weekend against Marist St Michael.
Coached by former Steamers lock John Moore, the side looked a class act. However, they go up against a team with experience and skill, with coach Kevin Lee looking to get his players showing their full potential early.
Whaka will be without their key play-maker, Kelly Haimona who is overseas on a contract. The first-five isn't due back until mid-season, so it will be a good opportunity for the side to trial some new combinations.
In the other semifinal, Rotoiti take on Waikite tomorrow. Rotoiti are yet to be tested - with their game last week a win by default after Reporoa were unable to field a team due to too many injuries.
Rotoiti have a new coach, former Steamers' captain Wayne Ormond.
They take on Waikite, who managed to sneak past Kahukura last week. Waikite make no secret of their game plan - it's based around using their giant forwards to bash their opposition into submission.
In the Matt Wilson Trophy round, which is made up of the teams who lost in the Banner Round last weekend, Marist St Michael get the pass straight through to the final next week because of their higher ranking. They will play the winner of the Kahukura versus Reporoa game.
Kahukura would have taken a lot out of their loss to Waikite last week and will be looking to exact revenge on Reporoa.
Kick-off for tomorrow's matches will be 2.30pm.
Team rankings: (Teams rankings are based on where they finished in last season's competition) Whakarewarewa 1, Rotoiti 2, Waikite 3, Ngongotaha 4, Marist St Michael 5, Kahukura 6 and Reporoa 7.
Cricket
Master blaster cricket batsman Alex Yates could be the key for East Bay United to secure a semifinal berth in this year's Williams Cup.
Yates and his team take on the might of Tauranga Boys' College at Nicholson Field, Tauranga, tomorrow.
The hard-hitting batsman has been in dynamic form, blasting more than 500 runs so far this season.
He is backed up by a strong bowling line-up, with teammates Joel Mathews and Dean Butterworth sitting in the top 10 in the Cup's bowling stats.
United lurk just six points behind Tauranga Boys and a win would see the visitors progress to the semis next weekend.
However, United come up against a side who are brimming with confidence and will fancy their chances playing at home.
Tauranga have an outstanding record in this tournament in recent seasons. The side won the tournament in 2009 and were runners up last year to Mount Maunganui.
They also have one of the most promising wicketkeepers in the Bay, with Tauranga Boys' keeper Alex Oakley having made his Bay of Plenty senior representative debut this year.
Another game with plenty to play for is the encounter at the Tauranga Domain between Cadets and Greerton.
While both sides have already booked semifinal berths, at stake is a home venue for next weekend's semis.
In other Baywide matches, the Mount should cement their home semi when they take on Central in Rotorua, with Te Puke facing Bay of Plenty Indians at Te Puke Domain.
It has been a sorry season for Rotorua cricket this season, with both sides struggling to find any form.
With the weather conspiring to ruin last weekend's Lonestar Tauranga and Rotorua Twenty20, the qualifying games are to be played over the next two weekends.
On Sunday, the key match-up in the qualifying competition will see Cadets and Mount Maunganui square off, at the neutral venue of the Bay of Plenty Cricket Oval. At stake for the winner is a place in the final to be played on Saturday, March 31, at the Bay Oval.
Te Puke and Greerton will also play their last round Twenty 20 game on Sunday.
The Indians and Central will play their T20 match on the following Saturday, as both will not be involved in the Williams Cup playoffs - with Tauranga Boys' College and East Bay United likely to fit there match in some time in the next two weeks.
Williams Cup draw for tomorrow: Element IMF Cadets v Eves Realty Greerton, Tauranga Domain; iTCo Central v Platinum Pacific Reclad Mount Maunganui, Smallbone Park; Tauranga Boys' College v East Bay United, Nicholson Field; Te Puke v BOP Indians, Te Puke Domain.
Williams Cup points: Cadets 30, Mount Maunganui 30, Greerton 24, Tauranga Boys' College 24, East Bay United 18, Te Puke 12, Central 6, BOP Indians 0.
Lonestar Tauranga and Rotorua Twenty 20 draw for March 11: Element IMF Cadets v Platinum Pacific Reclad Mount Maunganui, BOP Cricket Oval; Eves Realty Greerton v Te Puke - venue tba.
Lonestar T20 points: Tauranga Boys' College 10, Cadets 8, Central 8, Mount Maunganui 8, Greerton 6, Te Puke 6, East Bay United 2, BOP Indians 0.Greg Taipari
Swimming
National open-water swim champion Kane Radford faces the strongest men's field in recent history in the penultimate round of the State New Zealand Ocean Swim Series tomorrow.
Radford headlines a superb field stacked with a 10-strong powerhouse Kiwi contingent along with a classy international field, each with winning potential in the State Sand to Surf race at Mount Maunganui.
Australia's highest-ranked male open-water swimmer, Trent Grimsey, and Great Australian Swim Series champ Michael Sheil are among the best in the world.
The New Zealand challengers are led by Radford, his fellow New Zealand qualifier to the London Olympic trial, Jonathan Pullon, and 2011 national open-water champion Philip Ryan.
"I think this is the best field of all the State Ocean Swim races this year for the men so it is definitely going to be a great hit-out for me," Radford said.
"A win would push me up into the lead overall and make up for the poor effort in Wellington [when Radford missed the final buoy and cost himself the race]."
Mount Maunganui is the only pure surf beach included in this season's calendar. The swimmers may have to negotiate tumbling waves as they enter and exit the water, which if not done carefully could ruin their chances of success.
"This race is a bit different to the rest. Sometimes it can be quite flat at the Mount but sometimes it can have some quite sizeable surf.
"You need your surf skills firstly to get out into the water and then coming into the finish at the main beach also. It's where the race could be won or lost."
In the women's elite swim, Aucklander Brenda Russell faces a tough battle if she is to retain her series lead as a host of New Zealand's top open-water swimmers. Visiting Australian Tash Harrison will be nipping at her heels. Harrison was third in the recent Australian 10km open-water championships. The top Kiwi talent includes Taranaki's Charlotte Webby, last year's series champion, and Lauren Boyle, the country's top female pool swimmer, ranked in the top 10 in the world.
As well as the elite swimmers, about 750 swimmers of all ages and abilities will be competing in any one of four distances on offer at the event. These include the 2.6km long swim, intermediate swims of 1000m and 300m, and a 200m kids' swim which will feature a demonstration of technique from one of the elites.
Football
Ngongotaha look to kick off their season when they take on Melville United tomorrow.
The Rotorua side were delayed by a week from starting the season after their game was abandoned due to the weather bomb that hit the county last weekend. Ngongotaha make the move up to division one this year after sweeping aside all before them in the division two competition last year.
There is plenty of excitement from within the club as the team bring through a number of young and exciting players.
Rotorua United will be favoured to register their second win in the pre-season Federation Cup when they meet division two side Katikati at Neil Hunt Park tomorrow.
United coach Neil Rush will ring the changes to give all players the chance to claim a first-team spot but they should still have too much class for Katikati.
In other games, Whakatane Town host Tauranga City and Te Awamutu are at home against West Hamilton.Greg Taipari
Cricket
The time-honoured Attrill Cup will take centre stage on Sunday, when the holders, Rotorua, will take on an Eastern Bay of Plenty representative team.
The Attrill Cup, which is contested by the Bay of Plenty sub-associations, is understood to date back to the early 1930s.
Last season, the cup changed hands twice. In the first challenge, East Bay United took the trophy from a combined Te Puke and Mount Maunganui representative team. The next weekend, Rotorua won the long-time Bay of Plenty cricket trophy, defeating the Eastern Bay representatives.
After spending the winter at the Rotorua Cricket headquarters at Smallbone Park, the Rotorua side will put the Attrill Cup on the line at Smallbone Park on Sunday.
Water skiing
Some of the best barefoot water skiers will head to Ngakuru for the Bay of Plenty champs.
The two-day event, starting tomorrow, will see competitors aged from 7 to 50-plus taking part at the Whirinaki Reserve, Ngakuru. The competitors take part in three events; wake slalom, tricks and the glamour jump.
Each competitor has two 15-second phases to show what they can do. Many will be out to take on the men's national champ, Otaki's Ryan Groen, and his sister, world tricks record holder and women's national champ Georgia Groen.
Competitors from the Rotorua region include John Paul College students Marguerite Scott (Atiamuri), Tom Mathis (Tirau), Todd Foster (Rotorua) and Michael Gardner (Rere-whakaaitu), and William Leigh (Tirau), Shannon O'Donnell and Gary O'Donnell (Rerewhakaaitu).
The competition starts at 8am both days.
OPINION: Clayton McMillan faces a potential fourth final loss in five years tomorrow.