Promotion and relegation coming to the lower grades this season

Ballarat Cricket Association has announced changes to its structure ahead of this year’s season while also bringing back some history in the top grade.

The Ballarat Cricket Association is introducing promotion and relegation in some competitions as part of a raft of changes to the upcoming season.

The BCA held its annual general meeting on Wednesday to finalise plans for the upcoming season, which will start on October 1 in all five grade competitions.

One of the big changes will involve Second Grade, Third Grade and Fourth Grade being split into two divisions with eight teams in the top division and the remaining sides forming the second division.

“We’re adjusting things a bit differently,” BCA operations officer Jenna Fowlie said.

“We’re doing this on basically competitiveness.

“There will be finals within each division.”

In each grade the top division is made up of those who finished inside the top eight from the previous season.

The second division in each grade involves those teams who have either made the move to play in the XI this season or finished outside the top eight in last year’s season.

Fowlie said the top four would play finals in each division with a premier to be decided in each.

For those in the second division of the respective grade competition the top two teams, who play in the grand final, will get promoted to the top division with the bottom two from the top division being relegated.

There will be no promotion between grade competitions with teams needing to nominate the following season to make the move from Third Grade to Second Grade for example.

Clubs who have two teams in either Second Grade, Third Grade or Fourth Grade competition will have one team in each division.

Wendouree (Second Grade), East Ballarat (Third Grade) and Coronet City (Third Grade) are teams who have two teams in one grade.

Wendouree will field two teams in the Second XI competition this year. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Elaine, in Third Grade, will compete for the first time in two seasons after the club reformed this season.

The First Grade and Fifth Grade does not have two divisions.

Fowlie revealed the top grade will remain at nine teams after North Ballarat decided last month to not field a First Grade team.

All competitions, minus Fifth Grade, will play two forms of cricket this season with two-day cricket returning for the first time since 2019.

“It has been quite interesting managing everything,” Fowlie said.

“Every team (in the top grade) will have a two-day bye and two one-day byes.

“This allows every team to play each other once in the one day competition and they play six out of eight teams in the two day competition.”

All up, there will be around 20 days of cricket for the best cricketers with Fowlie mentioning all teams will play cricket on Sundays for a couple of weeks in the season to fit all the fixtures in.

Golden Point is one of nine teams locked in to playing in the First XI in the Ballarat Cricket Association competition this season. Picture: Alex Coppel.

The BCA will also reinstate the four day cricket grand final in First Grade.

It will be the first time since the 2018/19 the finals format returns and Fowlie said it was a move to return some history in the association.

Finals start in First Grade on March 11 with the grand final to be held over the two weekends on March 18 and 19 and March 25 and 26.

Finally, Fowlie said a T20 competition is being looked at but nothing has been locked in.

“We’ve sent out an expression of interest to clubs,” she said.

“We’re looking for the T20 competition to be held at 5pm Tuesday nights on hard wickets.

“It will be after Christmas in a knockout.”

Each Ballarat club would field one team with teams to battle each other, like in an FA Cup format in soccer, to have one team left standing at the end.

A draw for all grades is expected to be released in due course with some competitions still finalising teams.

A list of confirmed teams for the first three grades is below.

First Grade – Ballarat-Redan, Brown Hill, Buninyong, Darley, East Ballarat, Golden Point, Mt. Clear, Naps-Sebas, Wendouree

Second Grade –

Division 1: Ballarat-Redan, East Ballarat, Burrumbeet, Golden Point, Dunnstown, Mt. Clear, Ballan, Wendouree

Division 2: Lucas, VRI Delacombe, Coronet City, Creswick, North Ballarat, Buninyong, Darley, Naps-Sebas, Brown Hill, Wendouree

Third Grade

Division 1: Mt. Clear, Darley, Buninyong, Golden Point, Ballarat-Redan, East Ballarat, Coronet City, Lucas

Division 2: Coronet City/Newlyn, Naps-Sebas, North Ballarat, VRI Delacombe, Wendouree, East Ballarat, Brown Hill, Elaine