GDCA 2018-19: Riddell and Rupertswood under promotion embargo until 2021

Riddell and Rupertswood will be B Grade clubs until at least 2021 under terms agreed with the Gisborne and District Cricket Association when they requested relegation.

Rupertswood batsman Jordan Curran strikes a pull shot to the boundary. Picture: Hamish Blair

Riddell and Rupertswood will be B Grade clubs until at least 2021 under terms agreed with the Gisborne and District Cricket Association when they requested relegation.

Both sides are set to figure in Johnstone Shield finals, however they will remain in the second tier for another two seasons regardless of their success.

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GDCA president Rob McIntyre confirmed a three-year promotion ban had been imposed to stop clubs recruiting heavily in an effort to achieve an immediate McIntyre Cup return.

“We wanted both clubs to be able to build from the bottom up, to encourage playing junior cricketers and consolidating that way,” McIntyre said.

Both Rupertswood and Riddell withdrew from McIntyre Cup due to player shortages, despite finishing clear of relegation last season.

The Bombers had been a perennial flag contender before an exodus of senior talent, while Rupo finished eighth in the top grade in 2017-18.

McIntyre said the association would not make a call on whether a B Grade team was promoted until season’s end.

He said the three-season “embargo” was important to ensure “the integrity of the top grade”.

Should Riddell and Rupertswood reach the B Grade decider, it could mean the division’s third-placed finisher is elevated to replace the bottom side in McIntyre Cup.

“It depends on the side being relegated from McIntyre Cup too,” he said.

“There might be a situation where whoever finishes on the bottom … might be able to recruit a few players for next year and be more competitive.

“The runner-up in the next division would not necessarily be promoted then.”

Lancefield dropped from McIntyre Cup to C Grade at the end of last summer, while Macedon and Kyneton’s First XI teams went from B Grade to the third tier.

Each of those clubs is in finals contention and would likely be promoted if they claimed the C Grade trophy.

“There’s an opportunity for them to possibly go up, but we’ll look at that … at the end of the season,” McIntyre said.

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