Cross-border comp to kick off season

A Twenty20 competition held in New South Wales looks likely to herald the beginning of the summer of cricket in the region.

Murray Valley Cricket Association has made the decision to host and run a two-day tournament on October 30 and November 6, with any cricketer who resides in the border bubble and is fully vaccinated able to register to have a hit and roll the arm over in a competitive setting.

Matches will be played at Deniliquin and Barooga, with entries open until October 21 and players required to show proof of being double-dosed and be at least 14 years of age as of August 31 this year.

The association board of management will select teams from the pool of player nominations — which can be made by emailing mvca@westnet.com.au — and offer up a yet-to-be-announced major prize for the winning outfit.

Players do not need to be registered to an MVCA club to participate.

“We’re hoping to get at least four teams nominated which would be 44 players,” association president Anthony Holmes said.

“With two grounds at Deniliquin and

Barooga we’d then try and play four games on the 30th at Deni — two back-to-back for each team — and then the same at Barooga on the 6th.

“Depending on what the exact rules are for Victorians by then we’d try and have a final under lights at Barooga, and we’re putting together a major prize for the winning team.”

Originally the association was hoping to begin its one-day competition in the next fortnight, but with Victoria still a number of weeks behind NSW in terms of vaccination rates, November 13 is looming as a more realistic start date for the season proper.

“We did a bit of an ask around of the clubs and not all of them are completely ready to go yet in terms of being fully vaccinated,” Holmes said.

“Depending on the rules in Victoria we can hopefully start on November 13, to play in NSW you will also need to be fully vaccinated until the state hits 90 per cent double dose which would be a December 4 start if we waited until then.

“We just have to wait and see and keep communicating with our clubs.’’