GCA T20 grand finals at GMHBA Stadium?
THE Geelong Cricket Association is in discussions with the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust to potentially host its three T20 grand finals in what would be a spectacular triple header on Sunday, January 20.
With GMHBA Stadium hosting the Melbourne Renegades in Big Bash League double headers on January 3 and 13, it’s been proposed by the venue that it could leave in the drop-in wickets at GMHBA Stadium for another week to host the GCA blockbusters.
The original plan was for South Barwon Reserve’s two grounds to host the three matches on a Sunday in February, but GCA president Barry McFarlane said the association would be prepared to bring the finals forward if a deal could be reached with the trust.
“If it’s available we’ll take it, put it that way,” McFarlane said. “We haven’t gone into any definite discussions about it but we did decide at a management meeting that if that did come to fruition, we’d definitely take up the offer.
“But we don’t know the costs involved at this point in time, so it’s very early days.
“All that has to be discussed before we make a final decision one way or another, but it sounds a great idea to everyone — if it can come off, that would be terrific,” he said.
The triple-header would likely see the finals played at 10.15am, 1.15pm and 4.15pm.
McFarlane said grand finals at GMHBA Stadium would be an enticing “carrot” for clubs to play their best sides possible during the T20 tournament.
“I think when they get to the finals they field their best sides, but if that’s the carrot we can put to them — at the end of the tournament, we’ll play the finals at GMHBA Stadium — I think they’d be pretty keen to put their best sides out right through the competition,” he said.
Kardinia Park Stadium Trust chief executive Michael Brown said he had to talk to the curator about whether a wicket could be dropped in and whether it could stay.
“We’re talking to them (the GCA) about the possibility of doing that. They’ve approached us and I’ve said ‘If we can do it, we’ll do it’,” he said.