Stakes of Premier League get raised

CRICKET Tasmania general manager of high performance Simon Insley says the cancellation of the under-19 national championships will highlight the importance of the Cricket Tasmania Premier League within the state.

Cricket Australia announced on Thursday that the under-19 male and female national championships will not be held this season, with the cancellation based on health and player welfare advice.

Due to possible border restrictions, CA could not be sure that players or staff participating in the championships would not be placed in quarantine arrangements and/or be separated from family, school or work for extended periods of time.

The cancellation of the championships, which were slated to begin in April, has been backed by all state and territory associations.

Insley said the cancellation meant the CTPL would take on extra significance.

“The decision highlights the importance of the Cricket Tasmania Premier League within Tasmania, where the availability of Tasmanian Tigers players has never been higher due to a decrease in the number of state-level cricket matches this season,” Insley said.

“Our pathway staff continue to monitor the performances of the under-19 cohort through the CTPL.

“Performances have been recognised with selection to female Tigers wider-squad matches and male ‘talent squad’ matches to help the development of talented young Tasmanian cricketers.

“We’re all disappointed that a state team won’t be participating nationally this year, but training programs will be in place this winter to enable players in Tasmania to fight for selection for next season’s National Championship.”