Further evidence of the success of the Bay of Plenty Cricket pathway is provided by the selection of Joe Carter in the Bay of Plenty Senior Representative team to play Waikato Valley today.

The Fergus Hickey game at the Cambridge Square in the in the Central Waikato town, will see Joe make his debut in the Bay senior men's side.

The promotion of Joe and fellow New Zealand under-18 squad member Sean Davey into the senior representative ranks this season continues the success of the Bay of Plenty Cricket pathway that has seen Daniel Flynn and Kane Williamson play for the Black Caps in recent seasons.

Consistent form in Bay of Plenty Baywide cricket has resulted in Eastern Pirates captain James MacMillan being brought back into the Bay of Plenty side. An average of 41 in the Williams Cup suggests that James is a middle order batsman of real quality.

While it is unlikely that Bay of Plenty will successfully defend the Fergus Hickey Rosebowl this season, there is valuable Hawke Cup qualifying points on the line in the Bay's last three games of the season.

The Northern Districts Hawke Cup qualifying competition, which will give the winner a Hawke Cup Direct Challenge early next year, is one of the few cricket competitions played over a calendar year.

While the Cambridge Square is amongst the most picturesque cricket grounds in the country, the Bay side won't be worried about the scenery as they focus is on taking an authoritative victory home over the Kaimai ranges.

Bay of Plenty Men's Team v Poverty Bay

Jono Boult (captain) Peter Drysdale, Ben Christensen, Bharat Popli, Joe Carter, James MacMillan, Tim Clarke, Steven Rae, Brett Hampton, Sean Davey, Dale Swan, Tony Goodin.