FOR all the talk of this being one of those Bendigo District Cricket Association seasons to expect the unexpected, the ladder has that all-too-familiar look about it.
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And that is the top four spots are being held by the same four teams that have occupied them for much of the past decade - Bendigo United, Strathdale-Maristians, Golden Square (coach Scott Johnson pictured) and Eaglehawk.
Having said that, at this stage it’s a wide open season with only six points separating second to ninth after five completed rounds.
But with the “big four” of the BDCA again all sitting in the top four for the meantime, it prompted me to have a look back at the past decade and see just what the ladder statistics say about each club.
And the numbers show just how much of a stranglehold the Redbacks, Suns, Square and Hawks have had on the competition.
Since the start of the 2004-05 season, there has been 127 BDCA ladders.
The big four have combined to sit on top of the ladder for 108 of those rounds - Golden Square (36), Strathdale-Maristians (29), Bendigo United (28) and Eaglehawk (15).
Interestingly, every club, expect for Strathfieldsaye, has spent at least one round on top of the ladder since 2004-05.
Even Huntly-North Epsom, which has spent 68 rounds on the bottom, has had a stint on top.
While at the other end of the spectrum, every team except Strathdale-Maristians has had at least one round on the bottom.
As for positions in the top four, there has been 508 up for grabs since 2004-05, with 384 of them - 75 per cent - occupied by the big four - Strathdale-Maristians (111), Bendigo United (110), Golden Square (90) and Eaglehawk (73).
Can the status quo be broken, or for the third season in a row will it be the same four clubs contesting the finals?
• What the past 127 BDCA ladders say about your club:
BENDIGO:
First: 5 Top 2: 10
Top 4: 16
Outside Top 4: 111
Bottom 2: 66
Last: 24
Most common: 9th (42).
BENDIGO UNITED:
First: 28 Top 2: 51
Top 4: 110
Outside Top 4: 17
Bottom 2: 1
Last: 1
Most common: 4th (33).
EAGLEHAWK:
First: 15 Top 2: 31
Top 4: 73
Outside Top 4: 54
Bottom 2: 4
Last: 3
Most common: 4th (24).
GOLDEN SQUARE:
First: 36 Top 2: 54
Top 4: 73
Outside Top 4: 54
Bottom 2: 12
Last: 3
Most common: 1st (36)
HUNTLY-NTH EPSOM:
First: 1 Top 2: 4
Top 4: 13
Outside Top 4: 114
Bottom 2: 77
Last: 68
Most common: 10th (68)
KANGAROO FLAT:
First: 9 Top 2: 16
Top 4: 27
Outside Top 4: 100
Bottom 2: 26
Last: 9
Most common: 6th (28).
SANDHURST:
First: 1 Top 2: 5
Top 4: 17
Outside Top 4: 110
Bottom 2: 21
Last: 5
Most common: 6th (32).
STRATHDALE:
First: 29 Top 2: 71
Top 4: 111
Outside Top 4: 16
Bottom 2: 0
Last: 0
Most common: 2nd (42).
STRATHFIELDSAYE:
First: 0 Top 2: 2
Top 4: 21
Outside Top 4: 106
Bottom 2: 19
Last: 8
Most common: 8th (32).
WHITE HILLS:
First: 3 Top 2: 10
Top 4: 30
Outside Top 4: 97
Bottom 2: 28
Last: 8
Most common: 5th (22).
• Stats since 2004-05.
