There is likely to be plenty of reminiscing of past games and individual feats, when Bay of Plenty Cricket celebrates 80 years of cricket at the BOP Cricket Oval on Sunday.

It will be 80 years to the month since Bay of Plenty played its first game against South Auckland on March 28-30, 1932 in Hamilton.

The Bay side made a big entrance, playing the then Hawke Cup holders at Seddon Park in Hamilton.

Eighty years later the Hawke Cup is still the symbol of minor association cricket supremacy in the country.

Two players sit astride the myriad of statistics of Bay of Plenty representative cricket.

In the eight decades since affiliation to New Zealand Cricket, only Michael Wright and Derek Beard have reached the magical mark of 100 games for Bay of Plenty.

Sitting at the top of the all-time list of games for the Bay of Plenty is Derek Beard.

A record of 105 games in Bay of Plenty colours is a mark that may never be broken.

The bare bones of Derek Beard's statistics tell a tale of 2843 runs and 204 wickets.

His batting total, which has placed him second on the all-time list, came at an average of 27.87, three centuries and 10 50s with a highest score of 135.

With the ball Derek had no peers in Bay colours.

His total of 204 wickets tops the Bay of Plenty all time bowling list, with a best performance of 7/50 against Counties Manukau.

M J E Wright's 22 seasons of outstanding service to Bay of Plenty cricket produced a number of outstanding statistics.

His 102 games for the Bay sit alongside 65 first class appearances for Northern Districts in the same period.

Mike Wright made his debut for Bay of Plenty on 29 January 1967 against Poverty Bay at the Oval in Gisborne.

In his initial season he played alongside New Zealand keeper Eric Petrie, and well-known Bay players such as Charlie Fox and Peter Blake.

At the conclusion of his Bay career, Mike's teammates included Matthew Hart, Derek Beard, Grant Manners, Roydon Hayes and Grant McKenzie.

Statistics of Mike's batting show that his 3960 runs came at an average of 33.00 and included a highest score of 179no, four centuries and 21 50s.

Mike was also an outstanding wicket keeper and became the first choice keeper for ND for eleven seasons, during which time he took 110 catches.

The highest all time individual batting total was achieved in a game that received plenty of media coverage.

After taking the Hawke Cup from Auckland Manukau, Bay of Plenty faced Central Otago in their first defence of the trophy on 15/17 March 1997.

Bay of Plenty batted the visitors off Blake Park, courtesy of an outstanding knock from Simon Winter.

Bay of Plenty was in real trouble at 50/3 when Simon strode to the crease to grab the match by the scruff of the neck.

Simon Winter's innings, during which he alternated brilliantly between defence and attack, ended when he was bowled for a magnificent 181.

The best all time Bay of Plenty bowling performance also occurred at Blake Park in Mount Maunganui.

Playing Poverty Bay on 22/23 November 2003, Gareth West wrecked the Poverty Bay innings when he took a remarkable nine wickets, finishing with figures of 9/31 off 22.4 overs.

The visitors were removed for just 131, with Bay of Plenty going on to take first innings points in the rain affected match.

Only two Bay of Plenty players have posted a century and taken six wickets in a game.

The first occasion came in the 1966/67 season when Peter Stone posted 101 runs against King Country.

What made the century even more remarkable was the fact that Peter batted at number eight.

After Bay of Plenty was dismissed for 331, the Bay all-rounder went on to take seven wickets for 72 runs.

It was over 40 years before this feat was equalled. In a game against Poverty Bay in the 2008/09 season, Ben Williams, batting in the middle order, hit out to record 100 not out, and then went on to return bowling figures of 6/68.

A unique record was set by a (then) Tauranga Boys' College youngster in 2006.

Amandeep Singh sent the local cricket followers scurrying for the Bay of Plenty record books, when he took a hat trick on his Bay of Plenty senior debut.

The final tally showed that Amandeep finished with bowling figures of 5/32 against Counties Manukau.