Cricket Victoria’s under-age Youth Premier League scrapped for 2020-21
With the YPL not going ahead next season, club and community competitions will pick up the slack to allow talented young players to strut their stuff. Here’s what the program will look like.
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Cricket Victoria’s elite under-age titles, the Youth Premier League, have been scrapped for 2020-21 because of COVID-19.
In the absence of the state Under 14, 16 and 18 championships, players will be steered towards the annual carnival operated by the Victorian Metropolitan Cricket Union (VMCU), the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association’s Under 15 John Craig Shield and junior “country week’’ competitions in country areas.
In Melbourne local associations enter their representative teams in the VMCU Under 12, 14, 16 and 18 competitions.
Planning also continues on a new Premier Cricket Under 18 competition for male and female players.
CV is finalising details but the intention is to stage it after Christmas.
Cricket Victoria said COVID-19 had significantly disrupted planning for the YPL.
“We’d like to thank our affiliates for their proactivity and understanding as we’ve confronted the ongoing challenges of the coronavirus pandemic,” Cricket Victoria CEO Andrew Ingleton said this morning.
“Unfortunately circumstances won’t allow the Youth Premier League to take place this season, but we look forward to continuing to work closely with leagues to deliver representative opportunities where we can, while also providing access to our coaching and talent specialists.”
Cricket Victoria will look to launch a new Youth Premier League pathway system ahead of the 2021-22 season.
CV high performance manager Dean Russ said the YPL was a “vital avenue for developing cricketing talent throughout the state, and we’ll use this time to refine the competition to ensure it provides an even more valuable platform when it returns.’’
Cricket Victoria said it and associations would aim to “create localised representative opportunities to ensure the best performing players are given the chance to compete at a higher level’’.
It said coaching and talent specialists would continue to identify and nurture promising male and female players this season.
The state body is working on a “road map’’ for a return to cricket around the easing of government and public health restrictions.
Premier Cricket officials have fingers crossed the season will be able to get away on November 21.
VMCU carnivals
Junior male
Phil Arnold U18 Shield
Jim Beitzel U16 Shield
Keith Mackay U16 Shield
Russell Allen U14 Shield
Des Nolan U14 Cup
Keith Mitchell U12 Shield
Josh Browne U12 Plate
Junior female
Claudia Fatone U12 Shield
Julie Savage U14 Shield
Mel Jones U16 Shield
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