St Brigids St Louis has voted to join Cricket Southern Bayside

St Brigids St Louis will start in Division 1

The St Brigids St Louis premiership team after its DDCA T20 grand final win.

St Brigids St Louis is on the move, crossing to Cricket Southern Bayside.

And the Saints will make their start in the competition in Division 1.

The club has been affiliated with the Dandenong District Cricket Association for almost 20 years but members voted at last Friday’s AGM to join CSB.

President Noel Fitzgibbon said it was a unanimous decision and reflected the committee’s belief that St Brigids St Louis would attract more senior and junior players and sponsors by playing in “a more local competition’’.

The Saints’ three turf teams will play in CSB and their three synthetic sides in the South East Cricket Association (SECA), where their juniors already compete.

“There’s a good vibe around the club, excitement about where we’re heading,’’ Fitzgibbon said.

“We had the best turn-out (at the AGM) that we’ve had in years.

“A number of ones players turned out and they were very happy with the outcome.’’

When Parkdale and Aspendale joined CSB they both started in Division 2.

Fitzgibbon said St Brigids St Louis was pleased to be put in Division 1.

“It was something we were pretty keen to do, start there,’’ he said.

“We had that confirmed before we took it to the members.’’

The Saints leave the DDCA on the high of their stunning win in the Twenty20 competition.

Saints president Noel Fitzgibbon.

They put together victories over Turf 1 powers Springvale South, Buckley Ridges and Berwick to become the first Turf 2 club to take the title.

Fitzgibbon said the club enjoyed its time in the DDCA and left it on friendly terms.

CSB operations manager Darren Anderson said the Saints had been graded in Division 1 due to their 15th ranking in the DDCA and their Twenty20 title.

STUNNING T20 WIN FOR GIANT-KILLING SAINTS

MORDIALLOC JOINS CRICKET SOUTHERN BAYSIDE

He said he expected them to be “very competitive’’.

Anderson pointed out that Parkdale and Aspendale were both ranked 21 when they crossed to CSB.

Middle Park has made way for St Brigids St Louis, joining Chelsea in being been relegated to Division 2.

DDCA Turf 1 club Mordialloc has also transferred to Cricket Southern Bayside and will start in the Championship.

And Oakleigh club Emmanuel South Oakleigh has effectively become another new CSB club, bringing across its First XI turf team from the Mercantile association.

It already had a synthetic side playing in the SECA.