Youth is to the fore in the Bay of Plenty Development team that has been selected to play Counties Manukau in Manurewa in the first round of the Basil McBurnie competition.

The Bay Development side is the springboard to the Bay of Plenty senior men's team that plays in the Fergus Hickey Rosebowl competition each season.

Many of the current Bay first XI has cut its teeth in the development side before making its Fergus Hickey debut.

Three current Tauranga Boys' College pupils, who are amongst the stars in the school's first XI, have earned selection for Sundays encounter.

Tauranga Boys' wicketkeeper Alex Oakley has been joined by batsman Elliott Timoti and Tom Clout who is a well performed bowler.

All three were instrumental in Tauranga Boys' progressing to the Gillette Cup national finals to be played in December.

Eastern Bay's Pip Thickpenny, who is equally adept with bat and ball, is another to have caught the selectors eye for the first game of the season.

Campbell Thomas is another of the promising youngsters in the region who will make their Bay Development team debut in Manurewa.

Few regional second XIs will have more experience than the level that Mathew Drake will bring to the side.

Nearly 50 Fergus Hickey games for the Bay have produced 1158 runs for the Bay senior representative team in the last decade.

Captain Dale Swan has also worn the Bay first XI uniform in the past and is a tactical bowler of real quality.

Also in action on Sunday are the two Bay of Plenty Primary representative teams.

BOP Lakeland face Poverty Bay in Whakatane, with BOP Coastland playing Waikato Valley South in Tauranga.

BOP Development Team v Counties Manukau

Dale Swan (captain) Elliot Timoti, Mitch McCann, Scott Steward, Matthew Drake, Sean Davey, Shane Wineti, Alex Oakley, Tom Clout, Campbell Thomas (Western BOP) Philip Thickpenny (Eastern BOP) Andrew Gibbs (Rotorua).

Coach: Ben Williams.

ND Primary Tournament Round Two November 20

BOP Lakeland v Poverty Bay @ Whakatane.

BOP Coastland v Waikato Valley South @ Tauranga.