Is it me or does it feel weird, that you can travel from one side of our city to the other and be able to watch cricket and rugby on the same day?
That is the dilemma I found myself in as the sports reporter in our beautiful city.
Cricket
is starting to wind down and rugby is starting to gear up. On Saturday at Smallbone Park there was an over-35 cricket match being played while our Rotorua junior cricketers were having their prize giving, while at Puarenga Park Whakarewarewa were hosting Rotoiti for the opening round of the Baywide premier rugby.
Firstly to the cricket. It was fantastic to see these youngsters enjoying the afternoon sun hanging with their mates enjoying a sausage sizzle while some senior cricket was being played on the Bone. I take my hat off to the Rotorua Cricket Association for having the foresight to hire Dave Richardson as the development officer for the sport here in Rotorua. It appears he is doing a fantastic job.
Then you head over to the other side of town and you can watch two old rivals battle it out for the Tai Mitchell Shield. It has to be said, despite the blow-out score with Whaka winning 30-6, both teams are looking competitive for this season. Whaka appear to have a new lease of life and despite it being so early in the season are definite title contenders. Meanwhile, Rotoiti showed glimpses of why they were grand finalists last year. Their build-up wasn't the greatest but with some time they can easily get back to those lofty heights of last season.
