Subbies weigh up play on Melbourne Cup Day, Australia Day next season
Facing a late start to the season and wanting to play 13 rounds, the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association is considering setting up stumps on two public holidays in 2020-21.
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Don’t put money on it just yet, but Sub-District cricket could be played on Melbourne Cup day this year.
And the Subbies are also weighing up play on Australia Day in 2021.
With the cricket season facing a later start due to football finals being held in October, VSDCA officials are working through options for the fixture.
“We’re throwing everything on the table for season 2020-21,’’ association secretary Ken Hilton said today.
“In the past there has been a very strong direction from the clubs to the board to play 13 rounds and to play a good mix of two-day and one-day games.
“To achieve that and to finish our season in the last weekend in March … it’s something we’re looking at, Cup Day (Tuesday, November 3) and Australia Day (Tuesday, January 26).’’
Hilton said there would be a normal season if local football didn’t start.
But with return-to-play dates being announced on Sunday, the VAFA, Southern, Western Region and Essendon District leagues will almost certainly get going.
Cricket Victoria has agreed to let football use the first three Saturdays of October.
“If the season gets compromised — and we think it may do — to achieve the 13 rounds and to have a split of two and one-day games, we’re thinking we may have to throw, for next season only, Melbourne Cup Day and Australia Day into the mix,’’ Hilton said.
“It’s a bit hard to say at the moment because we don’t know when we’re going to be starting and how many Saturdays we’re going to have available, but we must finish on the last weekend in March because Easter is the first weekend in April next year and we don’t want to go into Easter.
“We know what our end date is and it’s a matter of managing the competition to get the 13 rounds in.’’
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Hilton said he believed clubs would support the dates if they were locked in, owing to the exceptional circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic.
He said Cup Day could be a good fundraising opportunity in a season when it might be difficult to attract sponsors.
“You could throw the clubrooms open, have a barbecue, have the races on and you may get a few people come and sit outdoors and watch the cricket and watch the Cup at the same time,’’ Hilton said.
“You’d think the clubs could make a few dollars out of it.
“Saturday-Sundays fixtures are an alternative but our boys don’t like a lot of Sunday play.
“These are the things we’ve got to work out. All the clubs I’ve spoken to — and this is not a board decision but just a thought from me — have been in favour of it.’’
VSDCA president Phil O’Meara said today the season could start on the last Saturday in October or the first Saturday of November.
He said the association was aiming for seven two-day and six one-day matches.
Only First and Second XIs would play on the public holidays.