Local cricket: RDCA clubs vote for YVCA merger following special meeting
Two powerhouse cricket associations have merged to form what one official describes as the premier hard-wicket comp in the state. The move explained by HQ and how the comp will structure up …
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A merger of neighbouring cricketing competitions has been approved with the Ringwood and District Cricket Association welcoming 12 new clubs for this summer.
Clubs voted unanimously to back the merger at an RDCA special general meeting on Wednesday night after the Yarra Valley Cricket Association did the same last week.
RDCA president Michael Finn expressed his excitement after the move was ratified, which now gives his competition 42 clubs.
“This is the biggest thing to happen in cricket in the outer east, ever – you’ve got two powerhouse associations,” Finn said.
“The RDCA now, without blowing our own trumpet, further reinforces our position as the premier hard wicket comp in Victoria by a mile.”
Finn said the “writing’s been on the wall” for the merger for several months, after official talks began in January following an approach by the executive of the Yarra Valley CA.
A “mass exodus” of players leaving the Yarra Valley association in recent years, as well as Seville and Mount Evelyn successfully applying to join the RDCA last year, proved to be the key indicators.
But Finn declared the RDCA has had a clear policy that it was never going to “proactively engage” the merger conversation, out of respect for the Yarra Valley competition.
“The Yarra Valley comp over the last four or five years has been deteriorating rapidly,” Finn said.
“We weren’t going to be like the vultures hovering over the bones waiting to pick it up.
“We basically said we wouldn’t get involved, but of course we were aware – we’re like the neighbour looking over the back fence … (but) we would not engage, it’s not good form, we wouldn’t like it done to us, and we won’t do it to you.”
The current RDCA structure including the five premier grades will remain and the association adding two stand-alone grades, which will be contested by the majority of the Yarra Valley clubs to maintain their locality.
Meanwhile, “three or four” Yarra Valley clubs whose first XI teams are “quite strong” have made separate applications to move into the premier grades and are slated to land in Division 4 or 5.
Finn said the merger had spared clubs from potentially folding and impacting communities, and the RDCA would assure it would preserve the history of all 12 clubs.
“We were asked to sit at the table for the sake of cricket, and for the sake of a competition that was about to die, as well as clubs that would potentially fold, therefore impacting communities in that region – it was our time for the big brother to stand up and play its part,” he said.
“We also wanted to make sure all of their history, all of their medals, life memberships, premierships, we would take them on board and they would honoured in ongoing perpetuity – we will not let them lose that.”
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