BOLD NEW PITCH

CRICKET REVIEW: Local competition needs total revamp & new look as player numbers drop

CRICKET needs shorter and more flexible games, and maybe even a winter competition, as player numbers continue to fall across Geelong.

That’s the suggestion of a new blueprint for the sport, which has also called for a review of all association and club structures across the G21 region, including all formats of the game.

The draft G21 and Cricket Victoria strategy, to be released publicly next week, notes the declining popularity of the game in the Barwon region is at odds with growth across Victoria.

CRICKET needs to offer shorter and more flexible games, including a potential winter competition, to address falling numbers of players across the Geelong region.

A forward-thinking blueprint for the sport has also called for a review of all association and club structures across the G21 region, including all formats of the game.

The draft G21 and Cricket Victoria strategy, to be released publicly next week, notes the declining popularity of the game in the Barwon region is at odds with growth across Victoria.

It calls for a wider suite of programs and competitions, with a direct reference to shorter, more flexible cricket.

“The game of cricket has changed and evolved … through new innovations, competition structures and modified formats to attract and retain participants,” the strategy says.

“The Barwon cricket region is not currently keeping pace with this change, and as a result participation rates in club and community cricket pro- grams have dropped.”

This signals that the predominance of two-day matches is likely to be reduced to cater for more one-day and T20 competitions, plus other unstructured opportunities.

The strategy found that numbers fell 3.6 per cent from the 2014-15 to 2016-17 seasons.

A strong rise in junior numbers, especially among females, was offset by a slump in senior players.

A key focus is the potential creation of a new governance and management model, with a working party to examine providing one central voice for cricket across the region.

Addressing ageing and substandard infrastructure is also a priority.

More than 80 synthetic pitches are in poor condition and will need to be replaced by 2022. While only a quarter of the region’s hard wicket pitches meet national width guidelines, and less than one-third are long enough.

Almost half of the region’s clubs also have less than the Cricket Australia standard of three training nets lanes.

One of the biggest areas of need is in the Colac Otway Shire.

Council infrastructure and leisure services general manager Tony McGann said a priority list of required facility upgrades would be needed.

“The audit report highlights that there are facility gaps identified for all cricket facilities located within our shire.”

The draft strategy, which has been crafted over the past two years, will be available for public comment from next Friday until early December.