Off-season update - coronavirus

Cricket – coronavirus updates

Work is continuing in the off-season towards the resumption of cricket – a tricky task with the coronavirus pandemic and uncertainty about what lies ahead.

Our winter cricket is still up in the air, with the Mid Year Cricket Association still holding out hope that some sort of season can get under way – probably with no reserve days.

MYCA is waiting on further Government direction on what is allowable before it makes its call.

It advises that anything less than a six-game season won’t go ahead, and is confident that a delay up to August will still allow a season.

The Mercantile Cricket Association – our Thirds and Fourths – is also carrying out active planning for a 2020/21 season.

Current advice is that a football season – if any – would push into the traditional cricket month of October, so planning is based on a late start.

Mercantile has put out options including a start on October 24 – the probable AFL Grand Final – with 18 weekends for the regular season finishing on the March 6 long weekend, then finals on March 13-20-27 weekends.

Mercantile’s other option is a start on November 7, with 19 weekends for the regular season finishing March 28, then finals after Easter on April 10-17-24 weekends.

The VTCA – our Firsts and Seconds – and NWMCA – our hard-wicket seniors and our juniors – are also actively planning towards what next season will look like.