Park pushes for promotion
Club asks for elevation to second division after three title triumphs
At least one GCA club has officially requested a promotion ahead of the coming summer despite the association’s stance of putting the traditionally annual concept on ice.
Bell Park Cricket Club provided a confidential written submission to the GCA nearly two months ago requesting a promotion to the second division, president Rodney Brown said. However, association president Rob Vines told this publication there would be no relegations or promotions ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, and the league would need an extra season’s results before bringing it back.
It comes after Bell Park won three premierships in GCA3 last season and is keen to be promoted.
“The feedback we’ve been given is there’s a club in division two that are struggling that may want to come down,” Brown said.
“We thought if they’re keen to go down and we’re keen to go up, there would be a natural swap.
“Obviously that didn’t align to what the association wanted or what the other club wanted, I don’t know.
“It’s none of our business. “We won the club championship very easily.
“(We) won three grand finals and overall in our first, seconds and thirds lost two games for the season, that probably speaks enough there should have been some sort of movement.”
While Brown was reluctant to name the GCA2 club in question, Marshall failed to win a match from 14 fixtures last summer.
The club declined to comment.
Meanwhile, Brown said the Dragons had been looking to bolster their squad on the off chance it might go up to GCA2 for the 2023-24 campaign.
“We’re planning on improving again this season,” Brown said.
“I would have thought one of the GCA’s strategic objectives would be to have an even competition in all four divisions.
“I don’t know if they’re fulfilling that. The numbers speak for themselves, I suppose. And you’ve got to be fair to the other division three clubs as well.”
However, Vines previously said following a “modified” season last summer due to wild weather, the league would need further results before reintroducing relegations and promotions.
“For the next season, the annual relegation-promotion process will resume,” he said.