CORIO CRISIS TALKS

MERGER CALL: Cricket club on the brink

A LEADING sporting official has called for cricket clubs in Geelong’s northern suburbs to merge amid revelations Corio is on the brink of collapse.

Nevada Cornwell, president of Corio Sporting Club, will put forward a motion at next week’s cricket club crisis meeting for the Devils and neighbouring rival Corio Bay to form an alliance.

Cornwell, who is part of a sub-committee that has been created to oversee the future of the struggling cricket section after the departure of the club’s board, fears the proud cricket club will fold.

Only three years after North Shore Cricket Club bit the dust, Corio will decide whether to close its doors at Tuesday’s meeting, which will be attended by GCA officials.

“If no one steps up, and it gets left alone, I can see another club going under,” Cornwell said.

“And that would be Corio and you’d have just Corio Bay left.

“We had our AGM last year and five people showed up, so there was no one to be reappointed to the committee.”

Devils cricket section president Robert Faulkner has stood down, while the remainder of the committee has opted not to continue for the 2017-18 season.

Cornwell has joined forces with City of Greater Geelong councillor Kylie Fisher, Faulkner and last year’s cricket section treasurer Michelle Cairns to temporarily keep the club afloat.

“I think the whole structure in the northern suburbs needs to change, personally,” he said.

“With North Shore going under a few years ago, and apparently Corio Bay is struggling as well, my suggestion is a merger.

“I think we should approach Corio Bay, talk to North Shore and restructure the clubs in the northern suburbs and establish the Northern Cobras or the Northern Devils or whatever it may be.

“I’m not sure whether Corio Bay is interested or not, but myself and Kylie Fisher are suggesting that it’s the answer to it all.”

But Ronny Vuik, who recently stood down as president of Corio Bay, has doubts over a potential merger.

“We had a bit of a talk about it and we’re not sure how it would go,” Vuik said.

“I don’t think it would work, but I’m not on the committee now, so it’s up to them. I think you’ll find that a few of the members of the committee, and they’re old-school players, would like to keep the Corio Bay brand.”

Cornwell, who has been loosely involved with Corio cricket for 25 years, said the northern suburbs could no longer sustain more than one cricket club.

“More than 10 years ago Corio Bay started their own club and what that’s done was force Corio into recess for three or four years,” Cornwell said.

“Then Corio got back on board and got a couple of sides again, but then North Shore folded. Nothing against Corio Bay, but when they were talking about starting a new club in the northern suburbs, there was never really a need for it.

“North Shore has been gone for a couple of years but their memorabilia must sit somewhere, so if there’s anyone who has connections to North Shore that wants to come back on board and have three clubs form as one, then I think we should discuss it.

“That’s how I think it could work better. We could preserve the history of three clubs.”

Meanwhile, former captaincoach Anthony Close has departed the Devils.

Close, who led the club to a T20 premiership last season, has joined GCA2 club champion Bell Park.