THE Bendigo District Cricket Association hasn’t included the Queen Elizabeth Oval in its plans for the upcoming season.
The BDCA has finalised its fixture for the 2010-11 season, which will begin on Saturday, October 9.
However, with plans in the pipeline for an upgrade of the QEO’s much-maligned surface, the BDCA, which has co-tenants in Sandhurst and Bendigo, has forecast the ground being unavailable this summer.
Instead of using the QEO, Sandhurst has been fixtured to play its home games at Weeroona Oval, while Bendigo will use North Bendigo’s Atkins Street as its home ground.
“At this stage we’re assuming there will be no QEO available this season,’’ BDCA secretary John Hecker said yesterday.
“There’s no doubt that anything to do with major works on ground surfaces are going to impact more on summer than winter. We’ve always known that, so it’s better just to be up front and go, ‘well, if we’re going to lose it then let’s be prepared for it’.
“We’ve been prepared for this for a number of years, and the fact we’ve always maintained the spare ground (North Bendigo) in the past has been to our advantage in that we’ve got somewhere else to go and this season, we’re going to be there every week.
“But if for whatever reason the QEO becomes available to us this season, then we would be back playing there.’’
The 2010-11 season – in which Bendigo United will enter as the reigning premiers – will be a 14-round season.
It will feature nine two-day and five one-day rounds, while there will be three weekends of Sunday cricket in the first half of the season.
At this stage, the third XI and under-17s have been fixtured to play 12 games, with Sunday one-day matches on November 14 and December 19 scheduled as first and second XI games only.
However, if there is support from clubs, the board is prepared for those November 14 and December 19 matches to be played in the third XI and under-17s as well.
“We’ll be guided by the clubs on that one,’’ Hecker said.
“We as a board haven’t said the thirds and under-17s can’t play that day, we’ve got the draw like it is based on the feedback from clubs previously. But if the clubs want those games put back in, we’re more than happy to do so.’’
With the first day of play on October 9, which is 72 days away, the season will start a week later than last year.
“Traditionally, our season-start has been the second Saturday of October,’’ Hecker said.
“Last year we went back to the first Saturday to try to eliminate one of the Sunday games, and that worked to a certain extent, but most clubs said that to get a wicket up for that first week was a lot of hard work.
“So by going back to the second Saturday of October, we will stick with the tried and true.’’
Based on last season’s finishing positions, the club with the toughest draw is Bendigo, which has a new coach in BDCA legend Max Taylor.
The Goers, who haven’t played finals since 2000-01, play four of the top-five teams from last season in their one-day matches.
The club who has fared best with the draw is Sandhurst, which last played finals back in 1986-87.
All five of the Dragons’ one-day games will be against sides that missed the finals last season.
There will be no easing into the season for Huntly-North Bendigo – which has been winless in its past 72 games – with the Power to meet last season’s runners-up, Strathdale-Maristians, in round one.
For the third season, the BDCA will host a Tuesday night Twenty20 tournament, starting on November 23 and culminating in a January 18 grand final.
Like last season the 10 teams have been split into two sections, with preliminary rounds to be played on November 23, December 7, December 21, January 4 and January 11.
The BDCA will also have a hectic representative schedule again.
Representative games are scheduled against Shepparton (October 31), Gisborne (December 5), Ballarat (February 6), while the juniors will play Geelong on February 20.
Melbourne Country Week, in which the BDCA won Provincial Group last season, will be played from February 14 to 18.
The long-running Bendigo Country Week carnival will be held from January 16 to 21.
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