White-ball cricket to kickstart Premier season
As Premier Cricket tries to set out a season schedule it’s keen to start 2020-21 with white-ball cricket. And the WBBL will play three matches in the south-east.
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There are a lot of red and white balls up in the air as Victorian Premier Cricket officials try to schedule the season.
But there is one certainty: the Victorian Super Slam will go ahead.
Cricket Victoria confirmed the Twenty 20 tournament would be held, but the national carnival run by Cricket Australia in Adelaide for the state champions would be having a spell, a victim of cricket’s cost-cutting drive.
The Victorian Super Slam has been staged for two years, with Dandenong and Carlton taking the titles.
In 2018-19 the Blues also won the national championship.
Premier Cricket manager Darren Anderson said initial planning was around playing Super Slam matches early in the season, which all going well will start on the second Saturday in October.
CV is mindful of the restrictions the coronavirus pandemic is placing on clubs’ pre-season programs.
It will try to kick off with short-format cricket, allowing players to ease into the season.
Across the season there are likely to be more one-dayers scheduled than two-day games. It’s possible all red-ball cricket will be set down for after Christmas.
Anderson said there would probably be midweek Super Slam fixtures again but CV would try to avoid Sunday play because it clashed with the women’s competition.
“Given the potential for a shortened season, we don’t want to disrupt the women’s season, because they’ve got a right to the main grounds,’’ he said.
“If we were to do it, we’d look to be creative with the fixturing so we don’t interrupt the women’s competition.’’
The Super Slam is split into Renegades and Stars conferences and both played seven rounds, semi-finals and a final last season, the winners going into the “Grand Slam’’.
“There may not be as many matches this year,’’ Anderson said.
“We’ll look to reduce that given the current climate and that it requires volunteers to come out and set up.’’
He said it was important Premier Cricket remained flexible given the potential for disruptions to the season.
A meeting with clubs will be held on July 27.
Cricket Victoria had agreed to a request from AFL Victoria for football to be played in the first three weeks of October but AFL Vic no longer needs the dates in the metropolitan area.
Junior football may play through in October in regional areas.
Meanwhile the Women’s Big Bash League is heading to the southeast.
Fixtures released by Cricket Australia show a double-header will be played at Shepley Oval, Dandenong or Casey Fields on Saturday, November 21.
Sydney Thunder will play Hobart Hurricanes at 10am and Adelaide Strikers will meet Sydney Sixers at 2pm.
On Sunday, November 22 the Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers will play at 2pm, again at Shepley or Casey Fields.
Dandenong president Gary Davidson said this morning it would be “amazing’’ if the club hosted a WBBL match.