Surfcoast Cricket Club will switch from the GCA to BPCA2 with close to 20 new players in tow
A desire to play a higher level of cricket, and an influx of new recruits, has been the catalyst behind a GCA club switching to the BPCA for this summer.
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A desire to play a higher level of cricket, and the recruitment of close to 20 new players, is the driving force behind Surfcoast Cricket Club’s successful push to join the BPCA this season.
The Stingrays will go from the GCA’s One Day competitions to BPCA2, fielding teams in the A, B and one day divisions.
The Torquay-based club’s top flight won the grand final last summer after smashing Shelford by 80 runs.
President Josh Carey said an influx of new recruits – including a few returning players and a healthy number of former opponents – was partially behind the move.
“We’re looking at about 18 new players, we’re on a rise,” Carey said.
“I’m really exciting about what this year’s going to bring.
“(Some former opponents) like who we are and what we’re about, so they’ve made the decision to get on board.”
It comes after discussions with the league about joining GCA4 for the 2022/23 season.
“I didn’t think the club was in a position to adequately fill that spot,” he said.
“I didn’t want to put the boys under that sort of pressure when they’re not ready to compete.”
However, that opportunity didn’t extend to the coming season and the club was encouraged to take the chance to progress, albeit in a different league.
Carey was expecting a similar standard of cricket or higher in BPCA2, following discussions with other clubs.
“It will be similar to that GCA4 standard that we’ve been looking for, with A2 and B2,” he said.
“It’s what the boys are after.
“The boys want and need a better standard of cricket to play. We need to move.”
He said travel to games, for instance Portarlington, would be similar to previous seasons when playing against the likes of Little River and Shelford.
Meanwhile, the club, based behind the Surf Coast Shire Council offices in Torquay, is also looking for funding to build proper nets at Banyul-Warri Fields, estimated at a cost of about $650,000.
It would allow the club to access hundreds of juniors involved at local football club, the Surf Coast Suns, with many going to play at Torquay or Jan Juc during the summer.
The club currently undertakes a lot of centre wicket practice or uses Armstrong Cricket Club’s facilities at Sovereign Drive.
“They’re playing cricket for the love of playing cricket,” he said of the growing Stingrays.
Originally published as Surfcoast Cricket Club will switch from the GCA to BPCA2 with close to 20 new players in tow
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