Vigoro championships to be played on Strathfieldsaye's fields

IT’S just not cricket - and that’s what makes vigoro the must-see sport in Bendigo this week.Vigoro, which is a women’s only sport that incorporates elements of cricket, will be on show at the Strathfieldsaye cricket fields from February 21-28, with the National Vigoro Championships being hosted in Bendigo.President of the National Vigoro Association Lynn Hendley said although vigoro included some elements and rules of cricket, it was a very different game.“It’s very much like Twenty20 cricket, but even a faster version of that,’’ she said.“It’s different from cricket in that we don’t have overs and the fact you have to hit the ball in front of the crease.“There are 12 on a team and two bowlers who bowl from the same end.“The bowlers tend to throw the ball instead of bowl it, but the ball needs to be released from over the shoulder.’’Not only are the rules of the game different to cricket, vigoro’s equipment is what makes the game stand out.“The bat is different to a cricket bat in that it is paddle or teardrop shaped, and our bat has a blade which is about 15-20cm in height,’’ she said.“It actually looks a bit like a Stone Age weapon.“We also use two balls for each bowler, one is red and the other is white.’’Although vigoro is mainly played in Tasmania, Queensland and New South Wales, Hendley said the origins of the game began in Victoria more than a century ago.”The first game of Vigoro in Australia was at the Carlton Cricket Ground in Melbourne in 1908.“The game was brought out from England by John George Grant,’’ she said.“The game played in England was like a cross between tennis and cricket and both men and women played.“The Australian game evolved from that and was brought here for high school boys, but it didn’t take off because it just wasn’t cricket, so it became a women’s only sport.’’