Cricket to hit off
Aclash between West Wimmera and Rupanyup-Minyip at Nhill on Saturday will be among key games providing a spark to a delayed cricket season across the region.
The Horsham Cricket Association match is one of two central Wimmera A Grade encounters scheduled for the weekend, with Jung Tigers and Homers meeting in the other at Horsham City Oval.
Noradjuha-Toolondo will sit out the first game of the season with a bye.
The Horsham association features five A Grade, seven B Grade and 10 C Grade senior teams.
There will also be five under-16.5 and nine under-12 teams, also playing on Saturday, and 10 under-14 teams hitting off the season on Friday night.
Grampians association will also start its season this weekend, with the first two rounds of a T20 Henry Gunstone Cup series, which continues until November 20.
The Grampians competition has six A Grade teams, six B Grade teams, also playing in T20 openers from this weekend, and seven under-13 teams scheduled to start on November 14.
Wimmera Mallee Cricket Association starts its season on November 13 and features six A Grade sides and eight B Grade teams.
Horsham association president Josh Mahoney said there was a sense of excitement surrounding the start of the 2021-22 season after uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have a big round of games this week and we’ll be live-streaming our A Grade match at Nhill. Every week there will be a game streamed on our Youtube channel and Facebook,” he said.
“There are still teams looking for players and plenty of opportunities to have a game, and as I’ve said before, there is a club and a level for everyone.”
Mr Mahoney suggested people unsure about where they could play could visit website play. cricket.com.au, which linked back to a My Cricket site.
“All you have to do is type in your postcode to get details of clubs nearby,” he said.
First-round draws –
Horsham
A Grade: West Wimmera v Rupanyup-Minyip at Davis Park, Nhill; Jung Tigers v Homers at Horsham City Oval; Noradjuha-Toolondo, bye. B Grade: Saturday, 1pm. Blackheath-Dimboola v Rupanyup-Minyip at Dimboola; Colts v Lubeck-Murtoa at Cornell Park one; Jung Tigers v Horsham Saints, Horsham College Community Oval, Laharum, bye.
C Grade: Saturday, 1pm. Horsham Saints Black v Blackheath-Dimboola, Coughlin Park; Lubeck-Murtoa v Laharum, Murtoa; Quantong v Homers; Noradjuha-Toolondo v West Wimmera; Horsham Saints Red v Colts, Coughlin Park. Under-16.5: Saturday, 9am. Homers v Dunmunkle Renegades, Sunnyside; Mountain Ants v Colts, Davis Park, Nhill; Horsham Saints, bye. Under-14: Friday, 5pm: Homers Blue v Homers Red, Sunnyside; Colts v Horsham Saints Black, Cornell Park one; Noradjuha-Toolondo v Dunmunkle Renegades Red, Noradjuha; Blackheath-Dimboola v Homers White, Dimboola reserve one; Horsham Saints Red v West Wimmera, Coughlin Park.
Under-12: Saturday, 9am. Jung Tigers Yellow v Dunmunkle Renegades, Horsham College Community Oval; Blackheath-Dimboola v Horsham Saints Dimboola reserve two; Dunmunkle Renegades Red v Jung Tigers Black, Minyip; Homers v West Wimmera, Horsham Holy Trinity Lutheran College; Noradjuha-Toolondo, bye.
Grampians
A Grade: Noon, Saturday. T20 round one, Swifts-great Western v Youth Club at Central Park, Stawell; Halls Gap v Pomonal, North Park, Stawell; Chalambar v Buangor-tatyoon, Gordon Street, Ararat; 4pm, round two, Swifts-great Western v Pomonal at Central Park; Halls Gap v Youth Club at North Park.
B Grade: 1pm, Saturday. Swifts-great Western v St Andrews at Great Western; Buangor-tatyoon v Navarre, Buangor; Rhymney-moyston v Halls Gap, Moyston.